Illusion of Memories
by The-world-needs-peace
Summary: Even lost memories shape who we are and the choices we make. They can bring cold solitude in place of joyous recovery, and elation in the act of seclusion. When light is a weapon, and love is a curse, two trapped souls will find release, with a happiness that is only visible in the dark. If they do not kill each other in the process, they may be just the salvation they seek.
1. Pilot Chapter

I'm pretty sure I'm insane. Or just slightly twisted. I live by the adage of "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself." In this particular case... I got obsessive and actually made a damn story out of it. But I just had _so much fun_ with it I couldn't stop.

I will tell you now, I usually _hate_ this idea, but I am _determined_ to do this right. I am trying my hand at not one, not two, but _three_ ideas that usually make me shudder. In a way, I think that is a good thing, because it will allow me to be more objective, and force a more interesting plot just to keep myself interested. Plus, I need to stretch myself, right? :D

Do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney or any Final Fantasy references put in here. Just the random side characters, crowds, spectators, etc. And plotline.

**Summary:** A "first meeting" that leaves more questions than answers.

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><p><em>Two Months and Two Weeks Ago<em>

"Is she still in here?"

If she wasn't, then Selphie was going to be at her wit's end and give that girl a piece of her mind when they met up again. The sunlit classroom was mostly empty, save for the instructor and, hopefully, the one Selphie was looking for. A middle-aged, slightly plump man looked up to the girl in the doorway, and nodded to the back of the classroom, where a huddled body sat in the back left corner. Selphie strutted between the aisles to peer suspiciously at the girl hunched over. She had a book open, a notebook open, and a faded little pink pencil pouch with yellow and blue stars also open. It was unzipped, but all the pens, pencils and erasers were inside. The girl stared absently at the opened book before her; her brunette locks obscuring her face since her head was bent over the book. Her elbows were planted on the desk; the ends of the baggy sleeves of her light blue sweater were bunched on her palms and acted as pillows for her chin.

"Kiri?"

Selphie bent over to look up at the girl's face. Kiri's eyes were actually closed, and her breathing was deep and even. Selphie scowled when she realized the girl was asleep, and straightened imposingly. With one hand on her plaid-skirted hip, she brought up her white book bag by the pink handles, and plopped it down onto the girl's head.

Kiri popped her eyes open and blinked blearily for a moment to get her bearings. With no regard to the bag balancing on her skull, she glanced up at the girl hovering over her. In the brightness of the room, she could just barely make out the sharp curls on either side of the rounded head.

"Oh, morning Selphie," she greeted with a half raspy voice.

"Don't you 'morning Selphie' me." The girl removed her bag and leered down at her with hard green eyes. "Its three forty, and you're not in the library for your tutoring session. Shame on you," she scolded. "Here I am, worrying about keeping you waiting, only to find you here asleep."

"Sorry, sorry," the girl murmured before moving to close her book, notebook, and pencil case. "I'll try better to stay awake and get there on time."

"That's not enough to do anything." Selphie huffed. "You should be getting more sleep. I keep telling you to go to bed earlier."

"I go to bed early enough," she defended, followed by a wide yawn. She blinked her teary eyes before packing her things. She followed Selphie out of the classroom, with a brief wave to Mr. Maseno before getting out into the mostly empty hallway. "How was your day?"

A blue sign hailed the classroom as "3-B" in white letters over the door frame. The class was at the far end of the hall, with the entrance to the main office on the wall to their left. The girls turned right. The linoleum shone under the florescent lights, and the sunlight through the opened doors of the classrooms. The leather of the girls' black soles tapped softly against the hard floors, but still echoed in the stillness.

"Not the best." Selphie sighed. "Tidus was being a pain again."

Kiri smiled a little groggily. "Mani again?"

"They're _both_ making it hard. Ugh, he's _trying_ to relax, but he's still nervous around her, and trying _way_ too hard to impress her, and she just doesn't seem to know what to say."

"I guess they just need to spend more time together, until they're better." She half-shrugged a little wearily. Her gaze traveled up to the ceiling as she thought. "Maybe they just need to relax together. Maybe sit down… under a tree… where it's windy and they can watch the pretty leaves fly in front of them…" She seemed to smile at the thought, and swayed a little on her toes. One arm spread as she twirled slowly with her imagery. "And the fireflies can dance around them with their blessings, and there's a nice little shade, but it's still bright out, so the birds can watch them… there aren't other people around so it's quiet, and the birds can sing to them as they rest nicely in each other's arms-" _Smack_.

She felt the sting on the back of her hand, and she panicked and turned to apologize to the one she had accidentally hit.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kiri stumbled back and hid her face in her hand, "I didn't see you there and I wasn't looking, please forgive me!"

"Ah, Kiri?" Selphie called out hesitantly. "I don't think it minds too much."

The girl looked up from her fingers, only to see her knuckles had simply run into a wall corner. She seemed stunned, and unsure of what to do next. Selphie took her other wrist and dragged her around the wall corner to head down the connecting passageway she had "stumbled" upon. There were two doors further down. The one on the left was the library, and directly across it was the exit. There was a boy standing leisurely by the exit, presumably waiting for someone. He had a similar white shirt as Selphie, though had a longer light blue tie, and dark pants as part of the boy's uniform.

"Try to pay more attention around you," Selphie all but begged. "Try to get sleeping off the brain." She released Kiri when she seemed to find her feet again. "And try not to ramble too much in front of other people. They'll start to wonder."

"I'll try." Although the far-off tone of her voice indicated no promises. "He just needs to stop trying so hard."

"But they can't seem to think of any ideas," she replied. She hummed thoughtfully before looking to her. "What do you like to do on the weekends, Kiri?"

The girl pursed her lips as she considered the question. "Sleep" was the obvious answer, but that didn't help out Tidus's girlfriend problems too much. Something fun for a couple to do on the weekends… She glanced up to the ceiling again, her mind becoming a little more awake now that she had just run into something. There had to be something fun-

"Oof, ow, wait up!"

Kiri stumbled as one of her classmates shoved into her shoulder and went rushing past her in his haste to meet the other boy standing by the exit. Selphie yelled at him down the hall in annoyance.

"Hey, you shouldn't be running in the halls, even if it is after class!"

"Oops," came the call back, "Sorry, Selphie!"

"You should be apologizing to Kiri!" She yelled back, but the boy had already reached the double doors, and left the building. She looked to the other girl in concern. "Are you okay? Honestly, I can't believe people are so careless!"

"It's okay. He was just in a hurry." Kiri shrugged. "He was too eager to meet his friend. It happens."

"Do you always excuse people like that?"

Kiri shrugged, though her smile was a bit guilty. "I try to see from other people's perspectives. Besides, I'm not hurt. I'm sorry." She murmured. "I'll try to be more careful next time."

"Kiri." Selphie laced her hands behind her back and peered up at her, since Kiri was just a little taller than she was. "This is why I say you should get more sleep. You need to be more aware of your surroundings. Something could happen to you."

She sighed. "I know. Don't worry, I'll be okay." She slapped her cheek a few times before shaking her head. She took a deep breath, and smiled at Selphie brightly. "There, see? I'll be fine."

"Well, if you're sure…"

"Of course I am. In fact," She snapped her fingers. "I just thought of something. The movies. Why don't they try that?" she suggested. "My friend and I go out for lunch, and then do some window shopping before going to the theater. It's like a day out."

"Really? Which one were you thinking of seeing?"

"That new one that just came out a couple weeks ago. It looks like fun, and it shouldn't be too crowded."

"Oh that's right, I forgot about that." Selphie was quiet a moment. "I guess I could run it by Tidus. Oh no, I got distracted again. We're just standing here, and we haven't even started working yet."

"I don't mind talking," Kiri said innocently.

"Stop doing that to me!" Selphie chastised. "You're supposed to be catching up to your subjects."

Kiri smiled sheepishly.

"Come on," Selphie giggled, "Let's get to work."

Every Monday in the library at three thirty, the two would meet so Selphie could look over the weekly make-up packets Kiri had been given by her instructors, so she would know where to focus the lessons. Then they would meet again Thursday, so Selphie could check over her work and make sure everything was right before turning it in Friday. So two days later, Kiri had already completely forgotten about Tidus's girl troubles.

"Kiri!" Selphie whispered urgently, "Could you and your friend join us at the Plaza?"

Kiri looked up in surprise at the unusual request. The tutor was not usually one to skip a polite hello. Surprise turned into uncertainty. "The… Plaza?"

"Tidus and Mani's date!" Selphie reminded with exasperation.

"Oh." Kiri blinked. "But… why do you want us along?"

"Well, they were going to go, but… it turns out Mani is really nervous too," she admitted, and finally sat down in the chair beside her. She leaned over to whisper, so as to comply with the library's policies. "We've all known each other so long, she feels a little out of sorts being the newcomer. So I thought I should bring Wakka, and then our friends that just came back- the ones I told you had been gone for a year. They haven't really gotten out much either since they got back. But we all still know each other from way back, so I thought bringing in some other new people would make it less awkward for Mani."

Kiri's fingers twitched as her heart skipped a beat, though she managed to keep her facial expressions smooth. No, this could not actually be happening. Could it? She ignored the pang of remembrance and tilted her head as she smiled. "You really want this to work out between Tidus and Mani, don't you?"

"I do," Selphie admitted. "Tidus is a knucklehead sometimes, but he's a good guy, and Mani's really nice. I think she'd be good for him. But I think they just need the push in the right direction. So, could you?"

Kiri's small smile faltered as she glanced down. "I'm sorry. I really wish I could help you, but neither of us can go now."

"What?" She pouted in sheer heartbreak. "Why not?"

"My friend got switched in her shift at work," Kiri brought her finger tips together. "And my parents don't like me to go out."

Selphie frowned in confusion. "At all?"

"I mean, they do, but not unless it's with people they know."

"Oh, is that all?" Selphie smiled brightly. "Well, what if I came over to your house tomorrow so they could get to know me?"

"Uh…" Kiri started to sink into her chair. "I don't… think an afternoon would be enough. I mean they're really… um, picky about letting me- _us_- out. With strangers." Or just strange boys, but Kiri really didn't want to get into the details behind _that_ one.

"And if they were all girls?" Selphie said slyly.

Kiri stared at her a moment in surprise, her dark eyes wide. No protest, no questions, no demands as to why a fifteen year old was still being kept to such a ridiculous standard in this small, peaceful town? Oh no, instead she read her mind and was scheming right along with her. For the first time in a long while, Kiri grinned. "Thanks, Selphie. Best tutor ever."

"Sure," Selphie chirped. "You suggested it in the first place. It wouldn't be fair if you couldn't even go. You're the one actually doing me a favor."

Kiri was just grateful that she would not have to explain _why_ her parents were so skittish about the idea of her going out. That was a situation she could not afford to talk about now. The actual tutoring session was a little shorter than usual, since they were busy trying to swap addresses and phone numbers, and because both of them were so excited with plans they hardly got any real studying done at all. Selphie at least went over a few pages to make sure the girl was completing everything and keeping up. Though really, Selphie could not mask her excitement for the non-scholarly activities coming up on Saturday. As for Kiri, her secret hope and suspicions were something she could not dare to say out loud.

They parted gaily, with the promise that they would meet tomorrow afternoon in front of school and walk to Kiri's house together. But as Kiri had been learning well over the last year: karma liked to throw her a few curve balls in life.

Literally.

"WATCH OUT!"

_WHAM!_

In no time flat, Kiri went sailing across the pavement. The ball hit her arm, but the shot had been too much for her strength, and the force still sent her sprawling to the ground flat on her back. Out went her notes and out went her briefcase in a _fantastic_ crash. The girl lifted her hand cautiously to her forehead as she pushed up into a sitting position. _Ow… that really hurt. Why did it hurt? I thought I blocked it. Did I miss? Curse it all, that's what I get for actually trying to study on my way home._

"Hey, are you okay?" Sora asked.

Kiri froze for a moment, nearly going into panic. No, no, no, what was _he_ doing here? Why hadn't she noticed him sooner? Only now did Kiri pick up the sound of footsteps as people approached her. Oh great, more people to witness her spectacular display. She figured she was exempt from that by now, but life had other plans. How was she supposed to act in front of the other people? "Yeah… I mean, I'm fine."

"I, uh…" Sora stuttured, looking away as his cheeks went red. "S-Sorry, but your skirt…"

She looked down in confusion and reached for her skirt. Then realized it flipped up from her fall. Blood rushed to her whole face and neck as she rolled onto her knees so that her profile was to him, and smoothed her pleats. _Oh, brilliant, Kiri, let's go ahead and flash the guy while we're at it! Stupid skirt didn't have to be so short! He's probably laughing at me. _ "I'm fine, fine, really." she assured, though did not turn her flushed face to him. She reached for her scattered notes and gathered them. "I'm very sorry; I'll pay more attention next time."

The boy looked back at her when he deemed it safe and wondered if she was really as fine as she was acting after that hit. Not to brag, but he was not exactly wimpy. "Nah, it was my fault anyway. I'm really sorry I didn't see you sooner. Do you need help?"

Tidus and Wakka had finally caught up to him, and seemed at about as much of a loss as him.

"Hey," Tidus tried to approach her carefully, "you okay there?"

"I'll be fine, really," The girl's voice had grown more frantic as she hastily stuffed her notes in her bag and stood. "I'm not bleeding or anything, so I'll be fine."

All of them could see the sudden change in her when the words left her mouth. Her brown eyes widened and her free hand gingerly touched her face, as though to make sure her words rang true. She looked terrified at the prospect. It made the boys even more uneasy.

"Ya hit your head, yeah? I'll go get a potion just t'be sure," Wakka remembered suddenly. "Nurse's office should still be open."

Without waiting for an answer he ran back for the school. The girl finally turned to look at them and peered from under her fingers. They were both out of their uniforms. They must've been in the middle of a game when she went by the park. Sora probably took the opportunity to strike her when she walked by. Curse it all, worst time to meet. Because here, she couldn't do anything to retaliate. The two had turned to watch Wakka run off, and both of them missed the sudden angered glitter of her eyes.

"No, forget it, I don't need it," she clipped sharply and the two watched her as she turned and started walking. Annoying, but hardly worth complaining about or fighting over. "I just have to get home."

Both boys gasped suddenly with such horror, Kiri nearly jumped. Oh no, was it her skirt again? The girl reached down to check, but the article seemed perfectly normal, leaving her confused.

"Oh no," Sora lamented. "That was your favorite one, right?"

"Man, that thing is _shredded_." Tidus pointed out. "Uh, wait, is it supposed to be all lopsided like that?"

Kiri still didn't have the foggiest idea what he was talking about. "My favorite what?"

Silence.

"Um… your sweater's kinda…"

Kiri turned pale. _Oh please no…_

She tugged on her sweater, instantly feeling it was looser and longer, and the front was open when it wasn't supposed to be. She dropped her bag and fumbled clumsily with the front to try to get it straight, only to find the hard way that the buttons had popped clean off. She reached around with one hand to figure out why her arm felt so awkward, and with a gasp discovered the hole at the bottom of her sleeve where the seam gave out. Behind her, the perpetrator grimaced, and the witness gave a sympathetic wince.

"Hey, uh…" Sora took a cautious step forward. "Maybe you can fix it? Or… I could get you a new one-"

"DO I _LOOK_ LIKE I KNOW HOW TO SEW!?"

Both the boys took a startled step back and froze wide-eyed and stunned at her outburst. The rage emanating from her was clear as she whirled on them, and made them hesitant to even move in a way to anger her further. Sora held up his hands with as he took an easy step back. "N-no, I didn't mean that. I just meant ya know, take it somewhere or something."

"I shouldn't have to _take_ it anywhere!"

"I know, ok? I'm sorry!" Sora shook his head and wave his hands desperately. "I was just trying to help!"

"Then don't _hit_ me next time!"

"Whoa, hey, c'mon!" Tidus stepped up. "It was just a game, ya know, accidents happen."

"THIS isn't in accident, moron!" Kiri screamed, stretching out her sweater and holding it out in front of them. "THIS is a disaster!" She stomped forward and jabbed her finger in his direction, though did not touch him. He still flinched back in shock. "Watch where you're playing your reckless little games next time! Otherwise _I'm_ gonna start playing and bash _your_ head in!"

She grabbed her bag and spun around to hightail it down the sidewalk. The boys watched her go in a sort of stunned awe, not entirely sure how to process what just happened. Wakka returned to a still stunned pair of teens with the promised potion in his hands.

"Hey, where did she go?" he asked as he looked around.

The two took one look at each other, before turning back to Wakka.

"Dude," Tidus started out. "You're not gonna _believe_ what you missed."


	2. A Fresh Start

I would like to dedicate this chapter to pokemon. For all those scenes Team Rocket appears, and you just wanted to throw something at the screen and yell "IT'S SO OBVIOUS IT'S THEM, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

That being said: let's move on.

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><p>The Candy Shop was a Happy Shop, as the motto insisted. It was not actually the store's motto, but Cherryll thought it ought to be. There were splashes of color from wrappers, and plain candies displayed, each one with a different flavor to delight anyone who wanted to indulge a sweet tooth. There were small sweets, big sweets, sweets on aisles, sweets in barrels, sweets up high, and sweets down low, with sweets that could be taken wherever you go!<p>

Well, the rhyme was still a work in progress, but she was sure it would come around eventually.

The sole working employee was as colorful as the shop, though only through personality. Her uniform was simply a cream blouse, a red skirt, and starched white apron. Her short honey brown hair was pulled into two pigtails at the nape of her neck as part of her uniform, though she had taken to wear the hairstyle outside of work as well. She was busy working to clean the shelves with a rag, careful not to get the starched linen dirty. The only thing to alleviate the quiet of the shop was her humming as she worked to keep the mood light and happy, just like the customers wanted and expected every time they came in. In all actuality she did not have to clean the shelves right now. She just liked to be out on the store floor whenever a customer came in.

Like right now, when the door chimed to signal a new guest.

"Ah, welcome to our shop," she greeted brightly with a smile. Usually, she would follow up with a "what would you like to try today," but this time, her smile dropped along with the rag in her hand, and she looked on with horror. "Kiri, what happened to your face?"

The darker haired girl that just arrived stood in the opened doorway a moment. She looked up forlornly from under the draping locks that were barely covering a shallow purple welt on her brow.

"That bad, huh? A ball hit me."

"Oh no," she squeaked. "Go sit down, I'll get the icepack."

Cherryll picked the rag back up and hurried to the store's front counter. She pulled the latch and slipped through the little hinged door built into the counter, leaving it unlocked for Kiri to get through. She went right for the farthest space in the inside of the counter, and pulled out the first aid kit as the injured girl went through the door labeled 'employees only' behind the counter. Kiri sat down carefully in the seat by the single small table, and gingerly put her right hand on the tabletop. A few moments later, Cherryll came through the door, and closed it behind her.

The employee's lounge was a very small space, with just a chair, a table, and a small bookcase with a radio on top. The walls were a cheery yellow, with soft carpet to keep it comfortable. There was a lamp next to the radio, and the light was at least bright and warm enough to illuminate the room. Cherryll flipped on the switch to turn the lamp on before she approached her hurt friend. She held out the little blue plastic pack, and Kiri took it with her left hand.

"Thanks," she said, and went to put it against her forehead, then stopped when Cherryll held out a little golden wrapped nugget next. She smiled up gratefully. "Thank you," she sighed, before reaching out to take it.

"Kiri," Cherryll sighed. "Why were you even near a place you could get hit with a ball? You know to be careful in the afternoon."

"I was studying" she defended. "I was reading notes an' walking so just… didn't notice them. They were by the park." She unhelpfully supplied. She unwrapped the candy as she spoke, and lifted the tiny square chew to her lips before taking a bite.

"That must've been some throw. Even trying to peg someone with a volley ball wouldn't be that bad."

"Blitz ball," she murmured around her caramel piece.

Cherryll winced. "No wonder. Those things are deadly. And I can't believe the jerks who hit you! They didn't even bother to walk you here to make sure you were okay!"

Kiri sighed once through her nose. What was she, five? "I'm fine, Cherryll. Just mad."

"You? Mad? That's a new one. I'm surprised you're not defending them."

Then Kiri lifted the arm with the hole and Cherryll's face dawned in understanding.

"Oh…"

There was a heavy silence between the girls, awkward for Cherryll, but mostly necessary for Kiri as her eyes watered with tears. She quickly reached out and pat her shoulder.

"Oh, no Kiri, it's fine, we can just fix it."

"I know… I know, it's just…" She reached up and dabbed her eyes. "I'm such an idiot. I should've kept my mouth shut. Or at least apologized while I was still there. They probably hate me now, and I've ruined everything. And I think I was even worse to Tidus, so now he thinks I'm a real jerk. And Selphie is probably going to hate me now too."

"Selphie?"

Kiri grew quiet, and fiddled with her fingers. Her black school shoes scuffed the lounge's carpet. "For yelling at her friend. And ruining her plans…I got invited out."

Cherryll gasped and covered her mouth. "You did? That's great! To where?"

"You remember how Selphie is my tutor?"

"Sure, the one who's friends with," she counted off her fingers, "Riku, Tidus, Wakka, Kairi, and… that other one, what's his name…?"

"Sora."

"Right him. Weird, I always forget his name for some reason."

"Anyway, she wanted to have an outing with everyone. And she wanted to invite me."

"Oh?" she put her hands on her hips and smiled teasingly. "When you say 'everyone,' does that include Riku?"

Kiri glanced up defensively, but her blush gave her away. "That's not why."

"Uh-huh, sure."

"Shut up, he just came with the package!"

"Yeah, but you _never_ like to go out anymore. I always have to be the one to drag you out." Then her smile dropped as she looked to her in dawning realization. "Wait, you mean Tidus hit you?"

"It was Sora." She admitted quietly. "He was playing with Tidus and Wakka."

Cherryll's jaw dropped. "You're kidding! That's so unfair! Now they should definitely make it up to you for doing that. To leave a poor girl on her own like that is terrible! It's a good thing I turned down Wakka- I'd give them all a piece of my mind if I was there. It's like I said, sports just create bad karma."

"They weren't _trying_ to be mean… well, not Tidus and Wakka, anyway."

"What, and Sora was? He's as mean as a puppy."

"He destroyed my sweater!"

"Oh honestly Kiri, you are _way_ to attached to that thing."

"I can't help it, I need it."

"You know, maybe this was a good thing. Maybe it's about time you got rid of that ol' thing anyway. It was practically falling apart anyway."

"Cherryll, I can't! You know I-"

"'Don't like touching people', I know. Jeez, you are so weird about that!" Cherryll sighed heavily, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "Alright, _fine_, I'll ask my grandma if she can get it fixed. It's going to take her a couple days though. Think you can handle that?"

"I can… wear something else over the weekend-" Kiri froze at the reminder, and her face fell again

"Aw, c'mon, can't be that bad," Cherryll waved off. "Listen, Kiri," Cherryll soothed while patting her shoulder affectionately. "I know you think it's the end of the world when someone runs into you, and you don't apologize, but I highly doubt anything you said could have made them hate you that much. Your anger has about the ferocity of a kitten."

Kiri looked down, and fidgeted, her guilt climbing up another step. "No, I'm pretty sure I surprised them. But it doesn't matter anyway. With something like this," She pointed to her forehead. "I couldn't go even if I wanted to. Mom and Dad will flip."

"But Kiri, you still should try," Cherryll urged. "Accidents happen and people get mad. Come on, you never go out anymore. Go on, meet people again." She winked suddenly. "Besides, you should take this chance to see Riku. Unless you want to stalk the high school, but I don't think they let junior high students like us hang out around there anyway. Look, they're not as bad as all that. I was just surprised." She tried to smile encouragingly. "They'll go down in a few days, I'm sure."

"You can still notice them," she grumbled.

"Oh, give your parents another chance; I'm sure if you just explain to them it was an accident, it'll be fine. You can say you got too close to the school's playing field so it's not as bad."

"Cherryll." She finally swallowed her piece before sagging in her chair. "It took us almost a week to convince them to let me walk on my own after school. They won't let me out of the house for a _month_." Kiri's eyes watered. "A hat's too obvious, and there's no way I'll be allowed to wear make-up. Even then it won't cover the welt." Her lip trembled and she looked down at the table. "Doesn't matter since I blew up anyway. If I knew it would end like this I wouldn't've turned around. It's just not _fair_. I didn't even get to feel excited for a night." She sniffed and brought her sleeve to her tearing eyes.

"Oh, no, Kiri, don't cry, it'll be okay," she cooed. She reached in the pocket of her uniform to pull out a clean little white towel, and Kiri took it before turning her face away. "We'll figure something out."

"I'm sorry for getting upset, I just… I just _really_ wanted this chance…"

"And you'll get it," Cherryll assured and put her hands on her shoulders. "I promise we'll think of something."

The bell chimed in the front, and both girls looked to the closed employee door, in remembrance of where they were. Cherryll smiled comfortingly.

"Just sit tight here. I'll be right back, and we'll figure out a way."

Kiri sniffed, but said nothing as her friend left the room and closed the door behind her. The girl half-heartedly wiped at her cheeks, and did her best to blink away the new ones trying to fall. She looked at the half eaten caramel chew, before popping it into her mouth, her eyes growing misty again at the circumstances. She crossed her arms over the table and lay her head down.

_Riku_…

Pathetic.

"I've got it!" Came Cherryll's excited shout a moment later and it made Kiri jump so she sat straighter in her chair. She was standing with both hands on the door frame, and her entire face was alight with joyous discovery. "You haven't checked in with your house yet, right?"

She did not wait for an answer, and hurried back out the door frame to the phone on the wall next to the counter. The door had been left open, allowing Kiri to hear everything, and she sat in dubious curiosity. Cherryll picked up the receiver and dialed automatically. She held the piece against her face and crossed one ankle behind the other as her finger twisted the swirling cord. She was sure to keep up her smile so that it would be apparent in her voice.

"Hi there! It's Cherryll. Do you mind if Kiri and I go out shopping after work tonight? … Oh no, there's something I want at the Square, and I won't have time this weekend… just a few clothes, my wardrobe is in need of some improvement… Well, sure, if there's anything she likes. That's why I was hoping she could come along…" Her smile slowly diminished, and even in the employee's lounge Kiri could hear the excitement dying out. "Oh…" the girl's face fell in disappointment. "I see, that's too bad…" she nodded slowly. "Of course, I understand, I'll let her know."

Kiri tried to squash the dread she felt at the sound of the click of the phone back into the holder, and when her friend entered the door frame. Wonderful. Now mother and father expected her home and she had to face the music now.

"There won't be any dinner for you when you get back."

The dread on Kiri's face turned into complete and utter bamboozlement.

"They were going to eat out tonight, so you'll have to get dinner with me."

Kiri's jaw dropped at the Cheshire grin her friend sent her way, and she whined. "Cherryll, don't do that to me!"

"Sorry," she practically sang, "couldn't resist."

She grimaced in irritation. "I hate you so much right now."

Cherryll dropped her grin took on a stern pose of reprimanding. "Hey now, don't say that to someone who's trying to be nice and help you."

She huffed and looked away.

"You're lucky I like you so much I can forgive you anyway. All right little missy, no naps for you until all your homework is done. We're staying out late tonight. I'll leave you alone back here until I'm off work, then we're going to the Plaza."

The order for "no naps" was agonizing for her, but she supposed this called for emergency measures. "You mean we really are shopping?"

"Yep, and doing a few other things. Trust me, this will work. If nothing else, it will keep everything covered until this weekend. You are not missing this chance. And I definitely want to hang out with all of them later, too. Except the athletes, but I'll even put up with them for your sake."

It was the farthest thing that Cherryll intended when she had decided on the new look, but that single afternoon turned out to change Kiri's life as she knew it.

"Cherryll, is that… a hair salon?"

"Yep! Like you said, a hat's too obvious, but what if you wanted to go for a new style instead? Come on, bangs are the perfect solution."

"I guess they are… but, I don't want bangs. I hate the feeling of something in my face. It's only supposed to be for a few days, but it'll take forever to grow out."

"Okay, we'll find a compromise. Let's talk to the stylist and see what we can find, okay?"

As it turned out, the stylist really did find a good compromise. Make the bangs longer, keep them to one side of the face, and when Kiri didn't want them anymore, she could just comb them back and let the part fall naturally again.

"It's perfect!" Then she took a good look at it in the mirror. "Except now you look like a thug…"

And the stylist came up with another compromise. Let the bangs curl at the end for a sweeter impression, and form the hair in the back to better match. Feathering the ends would give a lighter feel.

"Oh, how cute!"

That was one part taken care of. The real snag came at the next part of the planned make-over.

"Kiri, you know that I'm your friend and that I'm always trying to look out for you, right?"

"Yes…?"

"Good, now let's go pick you out an outfit for Saturday."

"What? Cherryll, no!"

"Kiri, I bet you were gonna wear that sweater on Saturday, weren't you?"

"…"

"Thought so. And I don't know if I can trust your closet. Now c'mon, we're going!"

While Cherryll knew her friend looked different, she never dreamed that people would actually think she was a different person.

In the early morning sun, there was a small but animated cluster in front of the school building. The structure was half of an "H" shape in the front. The two extended halls helped make a three walled barrier that was known as "the yard" of the school. All the students had their usual uniform, though with different book bags. In the middle of the animated cluster was Wakka, the exception to all the students.

He stood about three heads above the rest. Maybe four, counting his hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved and high-collared navy blue blazer that clipped together with big yellow buttons. He talked with them and patiently answered their questions as to why he was here at this school (Waiting for a friend of mine), what it was like being a high school student (super hard), and what was it like playing water-polo for a bigger team (awesome). From the short staircase that led up to the double doors, Selphie looked on in exasperation as the tall boy soaked up the attention.

"Maybe she's just sick today?" Tidus said behind her.

"You make it sound like a cold. She didn't look close to being sick. Besides, that would be too much of a coincidence," was Sora's prompt response as he stood above both of them, trying to look out over the front yard of the school grounds. "It was her _head_, Tidus. Look at what happened to your ribs- that hit could have given her a concussion if she didn't get a potion in time. If she's still at home, then she's probably _really_ hurt, and that means I screwed up big time."

"She looked fine to me. You must not have been kicking as hard when you hit her." He snorted. "She was still fine enough to bite our heads off."

"Look, guys," Selphie finally said as she turned to them. "I can understand if you actually hit a girl and she got mad, but if it really is who I think it is, you must be exaggerating. Are you sure you got her description right?"

"Of course I did," Sora defended. "Brown hair about to here," he gestured to his shoulders, "and a big blue sweater."

"Which you shredded," Tidus jabbed.

"I said I was sorry! And she still screamed at me!"

"But Kiri's too sweet for something like that. She'd probably more likely apologize for being in the way and hurry off."

"Well, she did apologize first, but-"

"There, you see? I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. She's a very sweet girl; you'll like her when you get to actually meet her."

Tidus and Sora looked at each other a bit uncertainly. Even Wakka had been skeptical when they tried to relay the story to him. Tidus frowned to himself as he fidgeted uneasily. He raised his elbow to rest on the cement stair wall so his black book bag could hang with less effort on his part, something Sora caught and made him feel a little more guilty and concerned.

"Look, Sora, you're overreacting. If she were in the hospital, we would have heard about it by now. News travels fast around here, remember?"

"I guess... whatever, just help me look?"

So they searched diligently, seeking that familiar head of flat brown hair, and light blue in the sea of white and plaid. Should have been easy since she was the only one who did that, right? So intent were they on their quest, they did not even notice the approach of the two other girls to their vantage point on the stairwell. Not until Cherryll started speaking with Selphie anyway.

"Hey there, Selphie," greeted Cherryll the moment she reached the steps and stood in front of the only girl on the stairs. "Hope you're fine this morning-"

"THAT'S IT!"

Everyone jumped and whirled at the sudden shout of inspiration. The first thing Sora noticed about the other girl was her bag; a familiar book bag that triggered his memory. But as he looked up he saw she was standing far from the other people, and wearing the usual short-sleeved shirt. A thick curl of hair draped down in front of the left side of her face and twirled into a little curly-Q to the left. She was looking pointedly away from them, but her joyous smile was enough to split her face. She turned to the girl with pigtails.

"Cherryll, I'm a genius!"

"Wait, why?" the baffled girl blinked.

"I found the loophole, be right back!"

And then she ran through the doors. And her friend, clearly confused beyond belief, followed. It was only a moment later Selphie managed to get her wits about her and looked through the closing door in suspicion. "Wait a second…" She darted through the follow without another word, and the boys were now more confused than ever.

"Did she look familiar to you?" Sora asked Tidus.

"I guess? I dunno, I'm just keepin' an eye out for that one girl."

Indeed they did, which made all the other students in the yard look to each other, and wonder on what they had just seen.

"Who was that?"

"I dunno... her hair was kind of cute though."

"Cute? Are you kidding? She looked like a thug!"

"She's not a new student here, is she?"

Neither girls any idea of the impression Kiri gave until Selphie admitted to them that even she had not recognized her own student.

"But, why?" Kiri asked in confusion. "I don't look that different… do I?"

"It's what I was trying to tell you yesterday." Cherryll giggled. "No one can even recognize you without the sweater."

Kiri sighed and dropped her head, knowing that she couldn't argue with this obvious proof.

* * *

><p>"Ah, thank you, Riku." The receptionist smiled as she took a hold of the thick paper packet. "Prompt as always. I'll be sure to get this to Ms. Madath to correct right away. And…" she shuffled through the papers on her desk, before pulling out another packet and handing it over to him. "Here is the one from Monday."<p>

"Thank you."

The main counter was about chest level for the average student, and stretched across almost the whole office. The surface was yellow wood, but the support structure was pastel peach. Although her blue nameplate was right on the desk, Riku could never remember the receptionist's name. It was like that with most of the staff at both this school, and his. He took the papers, and scanned over the red marks of the make-up packet absently.

The immediate space in this office was small, but that was only because it was the main one. Behind the tall counter was a hall that led to the right into the other offices, and the teacher's lounge. Windows along the left wall kept the room bright without the harsh glare of florescent lights, and the walls were painted off-white with a hint of peach to keep color. A very pale yellow molding traced around the room in the corner where the wall and white ceiling met. The carpet was tightly woven beige fibers with speckles of color. Even besides the fact that he was not a teacher or office worker, Riku still stood out in the room thanks to the dark navy of his high school uniform.

After a moment he slipped his packet into the open manila folder, and closed it. Using the same right hand, he slid the folder into the heavy brown leather book bag on the counter. He snapped the buckle closed before dragging it off the counter. He turned to Kairi. She was standing by the office door to give him his distance, and remained next to a black and white photograph of the shore. She seemed to somehow always gravitate toward her namesake in one way or another. Or maybe it was just his imagination.

"I did better than last week," he told her.

She smiled in response. "That's good. It means your work is paying off."

She never stopped encouraging him. It bothered him almost as much as it helped him. Business done, he headed for the door.

"You don't have to come in with me each time," he reminded, even as he struggled with trying to turn the knob with the same hand holding the bag.

"I know," she said, and reached out to open the door for him. "But I still want to. It's better not to be alone, right? But we better hurry back and help Sora." She smiled to herself. "He's so jittery right now."

Riku highly doubted Sora needed to worry if she was actually all right. The moment he stepped into the hall, he shot out his arm to block Kairi's path. Eyes narrowing at the scent that plagued him, he lowered his arm before staking ahead. "Wait here."

At first Kairi was so surprised she did not know what to do. The order came out of nowhere. But when she saw him heading down the halls without her, she pinched her lips in displeasure and followed.

"Ta-da!" Kiri twirled with her arms out, and halted in front of her audience with her hands on her hips. "Told you: I'mma genius."

Both Cherryll and Selphie did not seem to hold her same enthusiasm. They looked at each other from their spot on the bench in the girl's locker room, and then looked back to the expectantly excited teen. Specifically, her beltline.

"Kiri… why are you wearing your P.E shorts?"

The girl wagged her finger like giving a lecture, but the look of pride never wavered. "Because it's the only thing that isn't a skirt that the school administration can approve of for girls!"

"Well, yes, but, why do you _want_ to?"

"Because I've sworn of short skirts."

There was still an unsure silence from the other two, and Kiri's bravado deflated. She tried to keep her confident stance, even when she felt her stomach clenched in unease.

"I dunno, the school still might not allow it." Selphie said uneasily.

"We could ask?" Cherryll offered.

Kiri looked down at her black shorts, already feeling the rush from her "brilliant plan" evaporating and leaving her disappointed. She brought her hands up and pressed her fingers together. "Maybe… if I wear my skirt over it?"

"That'll just look ridiculous." Cherryll complained.

"I don't care." Kiri clipped, reaching out for her skirt again. "It's better than nothing."

It was still a new addition the three wanted to be sure of before starting off the day. But in their rush to leave, Kiri stopped them just before they went through the door.

"Wait," she urged, grabbing Cherryll's shoulder before she turned the knob.

"What's wrong?"

Kiri did not say anything, but she stepped up to stand in front of her, hand clenching over her bag handles. Schooling her expression into a firm mask, Kiri kept her eyes hard and penetrating through the wood as she reached for the handle herself.

_So you wanna do this the hard way, huh? Fine by me. I'll play. And I'll still come out on top._

She all but yanked open the door. And then nearly had a heart attack when the last face she expected appeared on the other side of the door.

_Riku_.


	3. First Day of School

And here is where the school system and OC history will finally be explained. If you still have any questions (that aren't plot related) feel free to ask and I'll try to address them in the story later.

Thanks again to Kanarah J and Lukas McDrake for looking over this piece and helping make it the best it could be!

You all know I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy, right? Good, moving on.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Pokemon. Again. Seriously, just be glad that I'm writing from the _other_ side, not theirs. To be fair, there actually is a good reason most of the school doesn't recognize her. I promise it will make sense later.

* * *

><p><em>Found you<em>.

"Riku?" Selphie's stared in disbelief, then turned stern. "What are you doing sneaking in front of the girl's locker room?"

'Sneaking?' The only male in the vicinity blinked before scowling at the one who spoke. 'Gee Selphie, way to make me sound creepy.' Then he finally looked up at the plaque that actually identified the room. '…Maybe I should've waited.'

He had rushed without thinking. His heart already started pounding as his senses went on high alert the moment he identified her scent. This proved it, then. _She_ really did go to this school. He cursed his luck. Why did it have to be _here?_ Why not his school?

"Hi Selphie," Kairi greeted, popping out from behind the boy.

"Oh, morning, Kairi."

"What are you three doing in there?" Kairi asked in bemusement.

"I wish I knew," Selphie joked.

He already tuned out the chatter. How this would affect them all later would have yet to be seen, but at this point, the only thing he was worried about was finding out who _she_ was. _Her_ scent was unmistakable, after all. So was the flash of trapped recognition. _She_ knew full well who he was, even without a previous face-to-face encounter. _She_ sensed him the same way he had.

It really _was_ her.

"Right, we were heading to the office," Selphie gestured to the girl obliviously. "Kiri said she needed something…"

So, her name was Kiri. One side of her face was covered, but that was a minor detail. He had to concede the appropriateness of her name. She was just as evasive and mysterious as the fog she was named after.

Riku and Kiri had not broken eye contact. Her visible eye was dark in color, but bright with racing emotion. She scrutinized him with an intensity that raised his hackles and forced his fighter's instincts to the forefront. He had spotted her and that was the first step, but the question was what her next move would be. She seemed to be searching for something in him, something that made her…

"…Nice to meet you, Cherryll." Kairi greeted. "You said her name was Kiri? Oh, this is your student, isn't it?" She turned to the new girl. "It's nice to finally meet you. Did you find the others outside? They're looking for you to make sure you're all right. Are you the one that went by the park yesterday?"

And then Kiri made her next move; something that actually took him aback.

"Actually, you're thinking of someone else," the girl smiled brilliantly. "I know it sounds like 'fog'." She indicated herself. " But I'm Kiry with a "y". I can understand they sound the same, though. Just came in from the north island. Kairi, right? It's very nice to meet you."

What? What was she doing? She had to be the same girl Sora had claimed to strike. The signs all lined up, why would she bother trying to hide it? He almost would have called her out on it, but hesitated. If it were just Kairi with him, he would have, but there were two other spectators. Plus, they were in the school. It was uncertain whether she would initiate conflict if provoked. Although he still wondered about her motive. Kiri could have used Sora's mistake as a ploy to get closer to them, to gain their sympathies. Why would she want to throw that away? Thinking more on it, why try to be a completely new student to the school? Hadn't she done that already before? It just seemed silly.

"Oh," Kairi smiled sheepishly in response. "Well, I suppose I was mistaken. It's very nice to meet you, Kiry. This is Riku," she indicated with her free hand. "We just got back from the office to try to get a few things for his transcript. He went to a different school for a while, so things are a little messy. The schools are still scrambling to get everything together. You know how it is."

The story was good. Kairi must have thought of it before to prepare for something like this. She should not have bothered. He could care less whether others knew the truth or not.

"I see." Kiri turned her attention to Riku, and smiled up to him as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Riku. I hope we can be good friends in the future."

His expression remained passive, but his eyes were suspicious as he regarded her. She must have wanted to keep this under wraps, the same way he did. Which meant, of course, playing dumb. Well, he could play that game.

"I hope you like it here." He spoke calmly, and tried to keep his tone curious as he inquired. "What class are you transferring in?"

"Three-B," she answered.

Of course. Why did he even bother asking?

"Oh really?" Kairi said. "Sora and Tidus are in that class. They're friends of ours, so maybe you should say hello. They're really nice, I'm sure they'd love to help you out."

"Maybe I will," Kiri said with a tone that implied she was considering it. "I could use the help."

"That so?" He kept his voice light, trying to keep it innocent enough for the spectators. "I get the feeling we'll be meeting each other again soon, 'Kiry'. I look forward to seeing you."

She must have sensed his true intention loud and clear, if her change in demeanor was anything to go by.

"S-Same here." She took a step back, and averted her eyes. "I have to get to the office now."

She glanced down toward her right, which meant her eyes went to the left hand in his pocket. The reminder made his fingers twitch in remembrance of two nights before. Suddenly, there was a distant echo of young voices, and the others realized that students were starting to file into school in order to get to their classes.

"Well, we won't keep you here any longer." Kairi assured. "Riku has to hurry before he and Wakka are late to school anyway." She waved over her shoulder as she turned. "See you later. Hope you have a good first day."

If Riku had his way, he would have remained to keep an eye on her. As it was, that was not an option. So he turned to follow Kairi down the hall. He kept close to Kairi, hoping he made his intention of protection clear.

I'm sorry.

His head turned as though to make his ear catch the words that might not have been whispered at all. They were so quiet, and hard to hear over the voices in the hallway. Sorry for what? Her actions? Her plans? It was impossible to tell. Whatever her meaning, he would still have to keep on guard.

"Kairi," Riku said as they neared the doors, "be careful around her."

"Why?" She turned to him curiously at the impromptu warning. "What do you mean?"

"That girl we just met, 'Kiry'. She's up to something."

"Really?" She frowned thoughtfully. "But she doesn't seem so bad. Are you sure? You're acting weird today."

"Very. Trust me."

She could not ask him more questions, because more students were filing past them as they arrived at the entrance.

"Well, I'll be careful," she promised, though her confusion was still evident. "But at least tell me why."

"I'll explain later," he assured, "At the dock."

"All right. I'll see you later, Riku." She parted from him before continuing down the connecting passage to get to the side of the A classes.

Kiri watched the two leave with longing bewilderment, and just a hint of guilt. Her fingers clutched a bit tighter around the handles of her simple book bag. Then she turned to the other two.

"Do you think it worked?"

"I'm not sure," Selphie admitted, "They didn't question it…"

"But I don't get it, why?" Cherryll asked. "You've been acting… kinda weird today."

Kiri's eyes dropped to her shoes, voice quiet. "Because… I need a fresh start. Cherryll, Selphie, I need a big favor. From both of you."

Outside, on the steps, Wakka was pointing out to Sora that the students were already filing into class.

"I guess," he relented. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay before school started. It's kind of funny she hasn't come by yet."

Riku kept to the left side to avoid the students going the opposite way, and ignored the stares from the younger kids at his uniform. "She's fine. We have other things to worry about."

"We do?"

"Go find Kairi and ask her about it. I'll meet you both after school and explain everything later."

"And you can't explain now because...?"

"No time. And too crowded. Keep your guard up, Sora," he warned as he joined Wakka on the ground, and finally began their walk to their own school.

"What was that about?" Tidus wondered.

"Beats me," Sora admitted. "I guess I have to go find Kairi and ask first. I'll meet you in class," he saluted with the hand not holding the blue supply bag before joining the stream of students.

Farther down, as the two high school students increased their distance from the school, Riku cast one last glance to the middle school behind his shoulder.

"Missin' you're friends already, yeah?" Wakka teased.

"Something like that," Riku said cryptically, before looking ahead. His features hardened, and the material of his slacks crinkled as the hand in his pocket formed into a fist.

Looked like things were about to get a little more complicated.

When the bell rang, and the new girl came hurrying in to room 3B, all of the classmates noticed. Mostly since she was wearing PE shorts instead of a skirt. She hurried straight to the front and quickly placed a folded note on the desk. The instructor glanced over it, her brow furrowing as she read down the contents, and then looked up at the girl.

"Wait a second, you're…"

"Kiri," the girl answered quietly.

"Oh!" The teacher blinked, and chuckled a little to herself. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it was you. Go ahead and take a seat."

"It's okay, thank you."

Everyone stared as the girl walked without another word down the first aisle to take the seat in the back left corner. What was that note? What was the teacher talking about when she meant she should have known who it was? And why was she wearing shorts? Wasn't that only supposed to be for P.E?

"Hey," a student whispered to her as soon as she sat down. "Someone sits there."

Kiri stared at the girl in confusion, and then remembered who everyone thought she was.

"I'm sure she won't mind." She shrugged. "I'll move when she gets here. Hi." She smiled. "My name's Kiry. With a 'y'."

The teacher's interaction, combined with 'Kiry's' blasé attitude and shady hairstyle, secured her "reputation" for the day. So she was a rule-breaker who could get away with it. Not like she was breaking a huge rule or anything, but still, this set the stage to break even bigger rules later. Maybe her family was actually super wealthy and bribed the school. Maybe her family was actually part of the mafia and could pull a few strings. Maybe she was part of a bicycle gang!

The real reason was actually less spectacular. Almost disappointing really. It had to do with the rush visit before class to the nurse's office, the one on the right side of the main office.

"Come in," the school's nurse called at the knock on her door without looking up, and closed her file and put it away in the middle drawer before turning in her wheeled chair. She looked over the unfamiliar person, and instantly regarded her with suspicion. "Can I help you?"

"Um, hi, Nurse Kell. It's me, Kiri."

"Kiri? Oh!" The woman blinked in surprise and gestured to the cushioned seat next to her. "Here, take a seat, I didn't recognize you."

"I know. It's the sweater," she conceded. She plopped down in the seat with her bag hanging in front of her legs.

"No, it's not just that. True it's different, but it's… no, never mind… why aren't you wearing it?"

"It… kinda got ripped. I was walking from school yesterday, and I got hit with a ball."

Dr. Kell stared at her. "Was this at the park?"

"Um..."

Kell instantly leaned over and brushed away the girl's bangs to see for herself. Kiri reeled back as though burned and leaned back against the chair.

"Sorry," The nurse said quickly. "Shoot, if I knew Wakka was talking about _you_, I would have given him an ice pack."

She shrugged. "Its fine, he didn't know."

"It probably looks worse than it really is. Did you put ice on it right away?"

"As quick as I could… I didn't want my parents to worry, so I wanted to hide it."

"Well, it's an interesting haircut." She looked over the rest of the girl. "So I guess the fall ended up tearing the sweater."

She nodded once, slowly, keeping her eyes on her lap. "It's gonna be mended over the weekend. I'll just have to wait until then."

"…how are you feeling?"

"…Worried. And scared."

"You're afraid you're going to run into people?"

She nodded once again, cheeks turning pink. "It's really cold, too." She murmured.

"And the shorts?"

The girl closed her knees self-consciously. "They… I fell. Well, tripped, when I tried to block it, and-"

"Your skirt flipped up?"

Her face burned red again, but she nodded. "Can I… keep them on for a while?" she asked in a small voice. "Please?"

Kell sighed softly, debating school policy and personal wellbeing. "We'll see." She leaned back, taking in the girl's appearance. "I'm almost surprised you came to school at all."

"I have to. Especially today. It's… just for one day, so it should be fine."

Even as she said it, the nurse could hear the uncertainty in her voice. The girl was trying to convince herself, that much was obvious. "Actually, I think this is a good step for you."

"Really?"

"Really. You're not comfortable with it, but you're coming back anyway. Maybe this will get you out of the sweater in the future. Keep the shorts. If anyone asks, you spilled on it this morning." She leaned over, and picked up a new note from the pad beside her pencil case. "Give this to the teachers in case they give you trouble. I'll speak for you."

The gratitude she felt was almost overwhelming, and it showed on her face. "Thank you."

"You're trying, Kiri. I'm just trying to help you along."

Cherryll and Selphie were waiting for her outside the main office when the girl stepped out, and they guessed the outcome from the relieved smile on her face.

"So they said it was okay?" Selphie checked.

"Of course."

"Of course?"

Kiri stiffened, catching her words. Almost slipped and broke character. "Like I said, the shorts are from the school. I'm not _technically_ breaking rules. They said it was okay for a little while."

'Plus I'm an angel.' She silently added. 'It's easier to get away with stuff when people feel sorry for you. Hmmm, I'll have to be extra nice to Nurse Kell for a while. Can't take advantage of her too often without raising suspicion. Plus I don't wanna push my luck _too_ hard.'

"If you say so. As long as faculty is okay with it," Cherryll shrugged. "We'd better hurry to class before we're late."

Kiri snapped out of her musings and followed the other two's examples and split from them to get to her own room. She managed to get to class with a lighter heart, but came upon an unfortunate and unforeseen side effect. She was also shocked when the students crowded around her desk as soon as the bell rang for break. It started with the classmate that first greeted her when she sat down. She had dark brown hair pulled back in a braid at the nape of her neck. Kiri already knew the girl's name was Selicia.

"So, Kiry," Selicia began, "where have you been all this time?"

At least Kiri took the time during first period to come up with a plausible and workable story. She leaned on her elbow, subtly inching away from the girl.

"I'm from the north island," she answered easily.

"Wow. Aren't they like, super classy up there?"

Kiri stared at her, mind reeling. Were they? Oh wait. "They… might be... But I'm not," she said quickly. "My family isn't rich."

"Really?" asked Deline, "So, your parents didn't bribe the school or anything? Then why're they letting you wear shorts?"

"Oh I just spilled during breakfast this morning," she chuckled nervously. "You know, accidents happen?"

The boy that had been sitting in front of her turned around to join in the conversation, making the girl sit up straight and lean back. He had haphazard black hair, and also had some of the darkest eyes of the class. His name was Hassen, and two other students from the front of the class had also gotten up from their chairs to stand closer as well: a boy, Felio, and a girl, Nessula. Kiri glanced to each of the newcomers, suddenly feeling slightly claustrophobic.

"Aw, that's too bad." Hassen shot a glance back to his buddies before throwing her a grin. "So what's with the hair, anyway? You're not blind in one eye, are you?"

"N-No?" For a moment she was so taken off-guard with the question she didn't know how to answer. "I just… like my hair like this."

"I dunno, seems kinda annoying. Unless you're hiding something.

"Oh… I… did get a scar when I was little, I fell pretty bad. I don't like to show it."

"I get it." Felio whispered to Nessula beside him. "She got a black eye from her last fight."

"What? No!" She thought she was about to have a heart attack. "Of course not, my family _hates_ fighting!"

"Oh?" Felio smirked and suddenly the whole demeanor of the spectators changed as they leaned in closer. "Is that why you have to hide it from them?"

Kiri was less subtle about leaning toward the wall this time. She brought her hands up in front and pressed them together in front of her middle. "I said I don't fight, didn't I?" she said in confusion, already getting nervous from the sudden change in aura around her.

"No," Nessula grinned. "You said they hate fighting, but you seemed awful defensive. I bet you get into fights all the time."

"No, I really don't," she assured.

"Yeah? Prove it. Let's see your eye."

Uh-oh. She swallowed once, her finger tips pushing together so hard they started to tremble. "I'd… rather not."

"Come on, just for a second, and then you can put it back."

"Um…" She racked her mind to think of an excuse, sinking just a little more into her chair. "That is…"

The bell rang, and the students groaned in disappointment as they went back to their assigned seats. Kiri sunk completely into her chair, and let out a dramatic sigh. She vowed to never take the phrase "saved by the bell" for granted again. The next instructor came in, picked up the note on his desk to read, glanced to the back corner of the room, and raised one eyebrow at Kiri, but said nothing before starting class. It practically sealed everyone's suspicions that something was up. There were whispers throughout the period for this particular instructor, since he was hard of hearing. Such was the usual atmosphere of class 3B. What was different this time was the subject of the whispers.

Okay, so she was not rich, but she was totally acting suspicious before. She definitely was fighting, she had to be. She said her family did not like fighting, but that could have been a cover-up. Maybe her whole family was actually in on it?

Kiri sighed quietly as she took out her notebook. She looked at the board blankly, her hand and pencil limp on the paper. That was a lot scarier than she thought it would be. A few close calls, but at least that was over with. A folded square of paper landed on her notebook, though she would not have even noticed it if it didn't bump against her hand. She blinked at it, and discreetly darted her eyes around for the culprit automatically, though stopped since she knew the effort was useless. She worriedly regarded the wad of paper for a moment before she picked it up and tucked it into her pocket. Whoever sent it was probably just carrying on from before anyway. She reasoned that if she said nothing, that would be the end of it, and people would forget about it during class time. That was why Kiri was so shocked when the break bell rang and the next student got up and asked if her family came from a line of gangs, as if the assault never ended. Did she look that bad? It must have been a joke, even if she denied it.

"Aw c'mon, I won't tell anyone." She winked. "Wouldn't want your gang to come after me."

"Give her a break," Hassen grinned. "It's just her first day. She is trying to blend in with the civilians, right?"

The boy had thrown her a wink, and pointed his finger like a gun, far too close for Kiri's liking. Her abrupt stand made the others quiet down.

"Excuse me," she murmured, "Bathroom."

She did not barrel through right away, but haltingly wormed her way through the students, murmuring her requests for people to move and permission to do so. Avoiding all possible contact, she managed to retreat from the class and get her much needed break. She knew they were far more vicious with Sora when he came back, but those were special circumstances anyway. This had blown up so much more than she expected. If it was not for that stupid ball flying out of the field into her _head_, she would not have had to deal with any of this. 'Sora,' she silently seethed, 'this is completely your fault!'

"Well, so much for saying "hi"," Sora laughed from the right side of the room. "They're all over her."

"Looks like it." Tidus smiled in amusement, "Who knew the back of a room could get so much attention?"

"Tell me about it." Sora laced his hands behind his head and leaned back on the wall in front of Tidus's desk. "I'm just glad the attention isn't on me for once. Definitely don't want to go through that again."

"Yeah, you were practically interrogated."

"I still can't believe that one kid asked if I _kidnapped_ Kairi. Seriously!"

"I don't blame him. If you had black hair and had those evil eyes, you'd be one pretty wicked looking dude."

"Oh c'mon, not you too." Sora groaned. "Jeez, anyone would look bad like that."

"I'm just saying," Tidus snickered.

It was around that time that Kiri had left the classroom, and the two watched her leave curiously.

"Think they scared her off?" Tidus grinned.

"Looks like it."

"Welcome to Zanarkand Middle School."

"Tell me about it. I kinda wonder about this school," Sora admitted. "Kids are crazy, an' breakin' rules all the time and the grown-ups don't care. It lets that one girl wear that sweater, an' Kiry's getting away with shorts. What's the deal?"

"Well, I dunno if Kiry actually threatened the school or not," Tidus joked, "but that other girl has been wearing that thing since last year."

"But I don't get it; why did they let her wear that in the first place?"

"Beats me. Probably to keep her from going crazy again." He pushed against his desk and leaned back on the legs of his seat. "Which totally bites, 'cuz I'd rather get to wear my own shirt instead of this thing. Maybe I should go nuts to try to get it."

Sora blinked and tilted his head ever so slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

"I dunno, maybe jump up onto a building and start screaming? Should get enough attention."

"Not _you_, the other girl!"

"Last year when she broke down, duh." Tidus stared at him a second. "Oh that's right, you weren't here last year."

"Yeah, that's why I asked. What happened?"

Tidus hissed from impact as he let his chair drop and sent one hand to his ribs. "Shoot," he muttered. "Forgot again."

Sora resisted the urge to sigh and smack him upside the head. "Go to the nurse and get a potion already."

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Anyway," he leaned forward excitedly, "wait until you hear this, it was all over the school. She was class 2A last year, so I didn't actually see everything that happened, just rumors, but they got crazier every day."

In class 3A, the more academically inclined half of the third-year students chatted amiably amongst themselves, Kairi and Selphie included. Kairi had asked Selphie a similar innocent question as Sora: What was up with the sweater?

"Amnesia?" Kairi asked in surprise.

"Yeah, really bad," Selphie assured. "She was absent for a little while before trying to come back. She couldn't seem to remember how to do anything. She just woke up one day and went completely blank. Couldn't talk or write, and she could hardly pay attention to anything, let alone class. But that wasn't the only thing that was strange; it was all these weird things she did whenever she was at school. Don't you remember, Kairi? She was in our class."

"Not really," Kairi admitted. "I was thinking about a few other things at the time."

"Hm." Selphie pursed her lips as she thought. "That's right, that was around the time Riku and Sora left, wasn't it? Actually, I think it was almost the same time."

When Destiny Island was swallowed by darkness? No, the same time the islands and everyone had been restored, and Sora and Riku had gone missing, Kairi realized.

"So, what did she actually _do_?" Sora asked.

"Well, she didn't stay in her class." Tidus explained and dropped his hand. "Other kids were saying how she would just get up from her seat and wander around the halls. At first the teachers thought they were bathroom breaks, but then the other teachers started complaining that she was coming into classes and disrupting other students. And whenever they would ask what she was doing there, she'd just look at them. She never said anything. They said:" he spread his hands out by his head and wiggled his fingers as he adopted a low voice, "'she had the eyes of a ghost that peered right into your soul...'" He leaned back. "The teachers finally had enough when she fainted during a test."

"She _fainted_?" Sora gawked.

"Yeah," Tidus laughed. "And you thought _you_ had jitters."

"Come on Kairi," Selphie urged. "It happened right in front of you. Don't you remember at all?"

"I don't know," Kairi frowned as she tried to rack her brain. "I probably forgot about it soon after. Was she all right?"

"I'm pretty sure she was okay. I remember a student took her to the office, and then she went home after that. When she came back to school the next day, she seemed better. At least, she didn't wander around anymore. But later-"

"Can we please stop?"

Both girls looked to Cherryll in surprise. She had not left her desk, and had her head resting on her crossed arms.

"It was a hard time for all of us," she said quietly. "All her friends left because they didn't know what to do anymore. But she's getting better now, and that's all that matters. If people start remembering again, she won't be able to make friends as easily. She's standoffish enough as it is."

"Oh, right," Selphie fidgeted in shame. Suddenly, Kiri's desire to make a better impression made sense. No wonder she had begged for Selphie and Cherryll's secrecy. "That's right, you were the one that took her to the office, weren't you Cherryll?"

"I was. It wasn't easy. For a little while, I thought she didn't remember me at all," the girl admitted, her eyes cloudy. "I was so glad when she finally remembered how to talk again. Whatever happened to her is over now."

Kairi frowned sympathetically. "I can only imagine how hard it… was…" She trailed off as her mind whirred. All the talk drudged up the distant memory, and she jumped when it cleared in her mind. "Oh! Now I remember, she-" She clapped a hand over her own mouth. "I-I'm sorry, I just remembered what happened. No wonder you all were worried. Is she really okay now?"

Cherryll just nodded. "She remembers almost everything. We just try not to think too hard about it." She smiled a little sadly. "You wouldn't know it, but she used to be very friendly. She was a little quiet, but not like she is now. She wasn't afraid to be with people. Hopefully, she'll start going back to how she used to be. If she just gets the chance, then people could get to know her more, and she could leave her reputation behind. It's why I wanted so hard for her to make a good impression for everyone on Saturday."

"I'm so sorry, Cherryll," Selphie told her. "Maybe I should have thought of this sooner. We all probably could have used it. If I could work with her every day, I would."

"I know you're busy with other things." She smiled. "Is she doing okay?"

"Well, we only started a couple weeks ago. She's trying, she really is. I'm sure she'll catch up in time for graduation."

"I hope so. She's struggling enough as it is. She just needs a break."

A hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see Kairi looking down sympathetically.

"I'm sorry she couldn't make it. Next time we do something, you can both come along, and we'll all have fun. How's that?"

The smile Cherryll gave was weak, but genuine. "That would be great. I'd appreciate it."

The bell rang, driving everyone to separate and go to their seats. Kairi dutifully opened her book, and focused as best as she could on the lecture, but her mind drifted to other topics. She knew the girl's episode had to have something to do with the Island's restoration. It just seemed too well timed to be a coincidence, sort of like Kiry's appearance, and Kiri's disappearance. Then again, maybe she was reading too much into the event. Both of them. What she really had to consider was Riku's reaction this morning. Kairi knew Riku was not one to worry without reason, but she also knew that the girl did not make her feel wary or suspicious in any way, and she had learned to trust her instincts. Until she heard an explanation from him, she would just behave as her heart suggested.

Still, she wished she could talk a little more to Kiri. The memory that came to light was one that bothered her for a reason that eluded her.

She stopped her train of thought when she spotted a little doodle on the bottom corner of her paper. Not _again_. She hastily erased it and hurried to catch up with her note taking.

In class 3B, Sora feverishly scribbled a note to continue the abruptly cut conversation. Heck, it was a lot more interesting than science.

_She broke down and ran away? Why?_

Tidus's response was a long time in coming, and slightly frustrated Sora, but he knew they had to be discreet for this particular instructor. Even through his impatience, he could swear there was a pair of eyes boring into him. After a few minutes of unease, he chanced a glance over his shoulder, but saw no one looking at him. He focused back to the front. He was relieved when he finally received the paper, and slowly opened it under his desk before carefully slipping it on top of his notebook and scanning it.

_Totally snapped. I remember this because it was P.E and we were all outside. We were running laps and she was falling behind. I came up behind her when I pulled ahead. It was like she had forgotten how to run right or something. Coach was yelling at her to hurry it up, but she wasn't catching up. I had just passed her when she tripped. Then she started crying pretty bad. She just got up and ran off the field. We figured to run inside the locker rooms. Wasn't until later we found out she ditched school, since her parents had to come by and it sent the faculty crazy. She was gone for like, two days, there was a search party and everything. She finally came back, but wearing a sweater, and she wouldn't take it off. Not the blue one, but a beige one and she stopped acting weird. She started wearing the blue one this year. Maybe it's like a security blanket or something._

Whoa. Sora blinked at the passage. At least they found her, but that was still pretty strange. Man, the parents and school must have gone through hell to bring her back. He worried about the implications for a moment before scribbling down his response.

_Didn't realize so much had happened while I was gone. Great, now I feel even worse for hitting her._

No wonder she blew up at him before. It was obviously a lot more important than just some sweater. It just made the whole thing worse. When the paper landed on his desk again, he picked it up without looking and only had to open it half way to read the last part.

_Don't feel bad. You didn't do it on purpose. A couple kids teased her, but it blew over pretty soon. I guess because she never reacted. They just kind of ignored her and kept away. Of course since she forgot everything, she moved down to B class for the new school year. Lucky for her Kairi came back toting you two. I'm pretty sure the kids are going to remember you three a lot more in the long run._

Sora rolled his eyes and refolded the paper to tuck it in his pocket. He did his best to pay attention to the teacher, but the lectures were still in a foreign language to him. Especially science. Forget science, it was the most useless thing anyone could try to teach him. He had already learned that magic and friendship solved everything. And hearts, but those already came with the package. He had to ignore the other girl for now and focus on Kiry. It just did not make sense. The Islands had been safe while they were gone, so far as he knew. What could possibly have Riku so on edge? And why this girl? She did not seem dangerous to him. Then again, he had learned that appearances could be very deceiving.

Not to mention now he was feeling on edge, like there really was something honing in on him, and that was not something he felt before today. He tried to focus back on the lecture, but that nagging feeling would not leave him alone.


	4. Second Half of the Day

Where Riku's reaction is finally explained.

* * *

><p>The school had a tiny cafeteria, which was actually a small station where students could purchase their meals. The 'tables' were simply the grounds in the back of the school, a fenced yard next to the sports fields. The islands rarely had bad weather, so those rare times there was a storm, the kids would just eat in class. Usually Kiri sat near the bushes lining the back of the school, with Cherryll coming by occasionally to keep her company, but Cherryll was nowhere to be seen. Kiri figured she felt like sitting with her friends today, and prepared herself for another solitary lunch. Just the thought made her eyelids grow heavy with relief. She was absolutely exhausted from yesterday.<p>

"Kiri, wait!"

And the tired girl just barely managed not to show her disappointment when she turned around to face Cherryll.

"We're sitting with the others over there today," Cherryll informed her brightly.

A twitch of her eye was the only give-away to her displeasure. _Curse it all_.

There were four trees in a line against the wire fence, with thin trunks and a wide and shallow dome of yellow-green foliage. Selphie sat in wait under the shade of the second tree from the left, munching on her simple ham sandwich. Cherryll sat down beside her, and brought out her lunch box. Kiri took a seat beside Cherryll. Unlike the other two, who had their legs curled to the side, she sat up straight with her legs stretched out, and put her bag on her lap.

"So, how was your first day?" Cherryll started casually.

"Terrifying." Kiri looked at her, her visible eye wide and a little dazed. "Everyone kept talking to me and asking me about my life. Someone even asked me to sit with them."

"But that's good, isn't it?" Selphie smiled and set down her sandwich to get her water bottle.

"No, it's terrible," she said in horror. "Everyone kept asking me what gang my family was from!"

The girls burst out laughing, Selphie lowering her bottle just in time. Kiri could not see why they found her obvious suffering so funny.

"Oh relax," Cherryll comforted through her snickers. "It's just first day excitement running around."

"Right, by next week it'll die down," Selphie agreed, and deemed it safe to take a sip.

"I hope so," she muttered. "I don't want to be known as a _thug_. I was almost tempted to say yes just so they'd stop bugging me."

"Okay, you don't want that," Cherryll said. "Then you'd actually have to live up to your reputation."

"True."

Although she had to wonder: if she _did_ have a reputation, could she just give people an 'evil eye', and have them back off? It would be good for emergency situations, like today. Actually, that would be kind of neat… Kiri stiffened, and turned to see Kairi approaching them. Approaching _her_.

"Hi there," Kairi smiled. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

There was never a bad word about Kairi. Even if she was not the mayor's adopted daughter, she just had a disposition that disarmed people. There was just not an ounce of cruelty in the deep blue eyes that seemed to reflect just like the sea she was named after. Kiri braced herself, and nodded her head. Kairi settled down and set the small cardboard box beside her. Instead of the special, she had only the salad. Cherryll found it curious, but Kiri did not notice it.

"Hello, Kiry. You may not remember me. I'm Kairi, we met earlier in the hall this morning."

"Right…" she hedged, and resisted the urge to scoot away. "I remember you. How was your day?"

"I was fine, but what about you? You're the new student. How was it?"

She mulled over the question. "Weird," she admitted. "Students are terrifying when they're excited."

Kairi looked to Selphie in obvious confusion, but she smiled and waved off her concern. Sora and Tidus' arrival prevented further inquiry.

"Oh, so _this_ is where you wanted to sit." Tidus spoke up. "That's perfect, since we didn't get the chance to talk before. I would've invited you to sit with us, but you seemed kind of busy."

"Yeah, they tend to grill the new kids. It'll pass," Sora assured. "Believe me, I know what it's like. I actually came in about two weeks before you. Where'd you come in from?"

Tidus had decided to sit directly across from Kiri for conversation, and Sora sat between him and Kairi. Without looking, Kiri's nose told her today's lunch special was a roast beef with pineapple sauce, thanks to Tidus' lunch. Cherryll watched Tidus curiously when he carefully eased himself to the ground. Kiri focused on Sora. He was pretty good at putting on a show for the others, but she wasn't fooled. Still, she knew neither of them could afford to say anything in front of the others. Or at least, she couldn't. It did not do good to have enemies, if she could help it.

"North Island," she answered, and gave a small smile that was more nervous than friendly, but kept eye contact to better read him. "But I'm not rich, before you ask."

"Okay, I believe you," he said with good humor. He did not have the roast like Kairi and Tidus, which Cherryll found strange, but Kiri did not notice. He stabbed his salad pieces and held the box close to his face to better get the morsels from falling. "So, which do you like better, anyway?"

She shrugged helplessly. "I don't really know."

"Well, you haven't been here that long," he admitted, swallowed, and smiled in encouragement. "Kiry, right? With a 'y'?"

Her lips quirked. "That's right. Glad you remember."

"I'm good with names." He grinned. "I'm Sora. But hey, have we met before? Ya look kinda familiar."

Her smile dropped. She did not answer immediately, making Cherryll fear she would not answer at all. She sat like an eerie statue, and everyone in view of her face could see the sudden concentration. Sora took a bite from his lunch, and looked back when he sensed her stare. Now he knew she was the one he had sensed; he felt that same wariness that had popped up in the classroom. Something about the intensity of her scrutiny put him on edge and made him want to jump into his battle stance. All anyone else could see was a wary scrutiny, with an expression akin to someone that had found a strange animal and was trying to judge if it was dangerous, but he felt as though she was searching for his secrets by boring into his eyes. For a second, his hand itched to hold his blade. He swallowed and lowered his food.

"Well, the Islands are pretty small," Cherryll said quickly. "You guys probably passed each other a few times. Before she came into school, I mean."

Kiri put her bag down, pulled in her feet, and scooted under the guise of being more comfortable, but moved so that she was more between him and Cherryll.

"We could have met each other a long time ago," she finally answered. "I was around before."

"Ya think so?" He took a page from her book, and set his lunch to the side. He propped up his knee and rested his arm on it, putting his weapon hand across his body and ready at a moment's notice. He pushed himself a little closer to Kairi in a deceptively casual posture, like someone who knew he was at risk of revealing his true identity but knew he had to play the game to survive. "It's too bad I don't remember you from before. Maybe we could've become good friends."

"Maybe," She gave an empty smile. "But even if we didn't, this is a chance to start over, right?" And then she extended her hand forward in a shake.

"Right," he responded with that same empty smile. The boy, not knowing any better, played chicken and reached out to grasp her hand firmly."Well then, I hope we become good friends, Kiry."

"Same here." She squeezed his hand and her smile widened. "I look forward to it, Sora."

Sky blue darkened in rage. The handshake, while unusual, was not something that made the others suspicious, though it made Cherryl gape in shock at her friend's invitation for Sora to actually touch her. The sudden tension and Sora's body language made Kairi's hair stand on end. Selphie wondered why the atmosphere suddenly did not feel as relaxed. Cherryll worried her fingers at the sudden change, but did not know what to make of it. Only the two scrutinizing each other could read the true message loud and clear.

And then there was Tidus.

"Well," he spoke up, "you haven't been here for long, though maybe you've already heard about me." He flicked his nose with his thumb, and smirked. "The name's Tidus. Star water-polo player of the Zanarkand Abes. If I play my cards right, I'll be the best in Spira High, too. You like sports?"

Kiri and Sora finally released each other as the girl watched Tidus quietly as he talked, her body not moving but her eyes focused intently on his face. When Tidus asked his final question, Kiri was quiet another moment before she smiled.

"I thought you looked familiar. Actually, I've already sneaked into a few of the games here. I can see why you're the star player. I'm glad I got the chance to meet you in person."

Tidus' smirk grew into a full out smile. "Wow, really? I mean," he leaned back leisurely, "that's good to hear. Lucky we found each other on the first day."

"It is. It's so crowded here, and everything feels so big."

"Oh. You're not scared or anything, are you? Those other kids were pretty bad."

"I'm nervous," she said shyly, and glanced down demurely. "I already feel like I stick out too much. I just want to fit in."

"If you need someone to show you around, I wouldn't mind helping you out."

"Oh, no," she shook her head, doe-eyed and repentant. "I couldn't ask you to do that."

"Aw, come on, I wouldn't offer if I couldn't do it. I'll give ya a tour. We can do it during lunch, if you want, since I can't really do it after school. Already missed it yesterday because of pool maintenance. Gotta practice for the big game."

"Of course, I understand." She peered up under her lashes hopefully. "Would you really?"

"Sure. I mean, far be it for me to disappoint a fan."

She smiled triumphantly. _Sucker_. "Thanks so much, Tidus. That's very nice of you."

Selphie and Cherryll stared openly at the display, impressed and a little amused. Kairi was glad that Kiry seemed to be able to look after herself, though a part of her was still wondering about the behavior.

"Great. Let me just finish up my lunch, okay?" Tidus winced when he scooted without thinking.

Cherryll frowned when she noticed it. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tidus assured. "Just got into a bit of a training accident yesterday. Still feeling it."

Kiri had not noticed it when she saw him before, or maybe she had not paid attention. Then she realized he had said 'yesterday'. Ah. Kiri's forehead throbbed in sympathy. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better."

"Eh, I'll be fine. I'll have to get a potion before practice anyway, otherwise coach'll yell at me," he answered jovially. "We only have two more weeks."

The whole time the two had conversed, Sora had never moved his eyes away from Kiri. The hand she grabbed clenched and unclenched in agitation, making Kairi worry. Only when Tidus guided Kiri through the double doors did he finally look away. Spotting his forgotten tray on the grass, he grabbed it again and attacked with a vengeance, suddenly ravished.

"Hey," Kairi whispered. "You okay?"

"Coursh I'm'kay," Sora assured through his mouthful. "Why wouldnn' I beh?"

"You were acting so weird with Kiry, I wasn't sure…"

The boy stopped mid-chew, staring at his friend in complete and utter mystification. "Who?"

When Tidus had taken Kiri around the school for her tour, she opted to let him do most of the talking unless he asked her a question. The school was not a large one, so the tour itself did not last for too long. Kiri was already familiar with the structure anyway, so she had no questions. At the end of the tour, Tidus hesitated by the double doors at the end of wing A that led to the outside lunch grounds, as well as the second set of doors that led to the PE locker room.

"Hey, Kiry are you doing anything tomorrow?"

She looked to him in surprise, wondering why he would ask that when she knew he was busy. "Well, I do actually have plans. Why do you ask?"

"Ah, no reason," he shifted in obvious disappointment. "It's just that my friends and I were going out tomorrow, and I wanted to ask for you to come along. See, there's this girl I really like, so I'm trying to get on her good side, but she feels kind of like an outsider when she's with my friends, and she still feels shy around me. So we wanted everyone to just have fun together, and having a few other people would probably make her feel better. And it might be a good chance for you to make friends, too," he amended quickly. "So I thought that maybe we could help each other out."

Kiri stared blankly at him before she fully realized just what was happening. He was asking _Kiry_ to come along.

"Well, I won't really be busy all day," she saved. "Maybe I could stop by."

"Really?" His expression brightened in relief. "Even a few hours would be good. We're meeting at the Plaza at noon."

She glanced away. "Well, if I hurry with my work, I could probably meet with you guys then…"

"That's great! So, you'll meet us at noon tomorrow?"

"Sure, as long as the others don't mind."

"Eh, I'm sure they'll be fine with it, I'll ask. The other girl we tried to invite seems to be MIA right now. Oh, you think Cherryll would like to come, too?"

"She has work tomorrow."

"Aw man, that sucks. But at least you'll be there. Thanks, Kiry, you're a lifesaver."

"No problem." She smiled charmingly. "Glad to help."

When they arrived at the tree again, Tidus was quick to get approval.

"Hey guys, Kiry's joining us at the plaza tomorrow."

"She's _what_?" Sora gaped and tried to connect the dots. "You invited her?"

"Why not?" Kairi said easily. "We did want more people."

"Yeah." Tidus shrugged carefully. "I asked if she wanted to go, and she said yes. So she's coming. It's not like the other girl could make it anyway."

Kiri held back her laughter. That was Tidus 'talking' with the others about it? Good to know the concern for approval was so strong.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Selphie said. "I was going to invite you once you got back."

"Perfect." Tidus grinned. "Then it's settled."

"Oh, Selphie," Kiri looked to her innocently, "could you come over to my house after school today? My parents would appreciate it if they got to meet you."

"Not a problem," she smiled sweetly, "I'm not doing anything."

"Perfect. Meet you after school?

"In front of the steps?"

"Done."

They shared a smile just as the bell rang, Tidus feeling pleased, Cherryll ecstatic, Kairi relieved, and Sora wondering what just happened. Then Tidus looked at Kiri.

"Wait, you didn't get a lunch, did you?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm fine," she assured. "I eat when I get home."

"If you're sure." He shrugged. "See you tomorrow."

"Right. Bye, everyone. See you all tomorrow."

Sora sighed as he and Tidus threw away their empty boxes and walked back to class.

"So much for keeping my guard up," he muttered.

"What's that?"

"Why'd you invite Kiry? You didn't even ask us or anything. What if we don't get along?"

"What? It was spur of the moment," he brushed off. "She's cute, she's smart, and she obviously has good taste." He tucked his hand in his pocket as he swaggered a bit. "She'll get along fine."

Sora scrutinized him curiously before his face broke out in understanding, and he could not help but smirk. "You know, Tidus, I think you're just happy that someone told you you're cool after that girl called you stupid yesterday."

"Hey, it's not my fault we gave a bad impression," Tidus defended. "She didn't have to be so, ya know, loud. You're the one who ripped her stupid sweater."

"How many times do I have to apologize for that already? I said I'd buy her a new one!"

"Tell her that, not me."

"Yeah, next week, hopefully."

The rest of their classes moved along without a major change. The students had quieted down a bit and the teachers still said nothing about Kiri's outfit change after reading the note. The only real change was P.E, which was the second period after lunch.

"All right class," came the booming voice, "you all know where your teams are going from yesterday. Today is the last day for volleyball! Next week is soccer!"

There were a few cheers, and a couple of groans as the teams went to their positions. Kiri considered her options. Since last year, the teachers had given her leeway on how hard she wanted to play. This year, since the class was a little later, she was usually too tired to care and used the time to doze off. She did occasionally play when she was feeling rested enough, but once in a blue moon, so she got used to going on a team that needed an extra player. She felt pretty good right now, since she had not taken a nap yesterday and slept almost the whole night through. And she reasoned a little extra activity might tire her out more and help her rest for tonight as well.

"Coach," she spoke up, "I'd like to play today."

The coach looked down at her. "Sorry, what's your name?"

"Kiri."

"Kiri?" He raised an eyebrow. "Nice haircut, you sure you'll be able to see with that?"

"I'll be fine. Which team should I go on?"

The coach looked over the teams already getting out to courts, and pointed to the middle one.

"Team two over there is short one player. You can go there to keep team one from needing to sub out."

"All right."

The sports field was directly next to the lunchtime field and was separated by a tall wire fence. The field was about three times as long and twice as wide, and had three volleyball nets lined down the center. The whole field was grass since it had to be used for several types of sports. The only part that was not grass was a wide strip of concrete at the bottom of the field used to keep the sports equipment out of the way. She waved once to Cherryll as she passed, and Cherryll gave a thumbs up back. She also passed Sora and Tidus, but they were both too busy glaring each other down from opposite sides of the net to notice her. When she got to the court and she realized just who was where, she felt relieved as she strolled up to the designated captain of team two.

"Hi Selphie," she greeted. "I think I'm on your team for today."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, Coach said you needed one more player?"

"We did." She turned to the other side of the court and called out to Kairi. "Its fine, you don't need to sub out!" She turned back and held up the ball. "Do you remember how to play volleyball?"

"Um… maybe?"

"Don't worry, it's easy," Selphie assured. "You'll have it in no time."

* * *

><p>"So?" Cherryll wedged between Selphie and Kiri as everyone went to take down the nets and put the balls back. "How was the game?"<p>

"Great," Selphie chirped. "Kiri was quick to learn."

"That's good. Did you have fun?"

Kiri thought about it. "I did. It was more fun than I expected."

"I hope so," Selphie laughed. "You seemed pretty eager to get the ball."

"You said not to let it touch the ground…"

"I did, but you didn't have to _dive_ for it."

"Good," Cherryll chirped in approval. "Was everyone friendly to each other during the game?"

"Yes," Kiri assured. "We didn't get too out of control. It was just fun."

"I'm glad. As long as everyone has good sportsmanship, then I approve. Does this mean you'll play with the others more?"

Kiri paused to consider it. "I don't know…" She tilted her head. "Maybe?"

"Well, if you're well rested like last night, then you'll be fine."

"I guess. It's just that some habits are hard to break."

* * *

><p>When Riku first arrived, sleep evaded him. It was not a fear of the darkness that kept him awake, but the memories of it that did. Like a veil of mist that swirled and dissipated at the first curious probing, he could swear he sensed that presence calling again, knocking again on the Door, but only at night, when his nightmares began and warned him to beware of the shadows. He passed it off as worrisome fancying, since this was only happening when he dreamed. Perhaps in a twisted way he <em>was<em> afraid of the dark. Strange, he was almost sure he had gotten over this by now.

He did not heed his instincts until one particular night when not one, not two, but _three_ visions left him restless. He went outside for a walk to ease his heart and remind himself he no longer had anything to fear. It passed by peacefully, as did the time a few nights later. After the first walk, the next ones over the next few days were more for peace of mind than confirmation. The sad truth of the matter was that a tiny part of him was glad at the unexpected change. The routine of this tiny world had already been wearing him down after a few short days. Even if was just aimless walking in the middle of the night, at least he was moving. It became a temporary therapy, even if he could not do it every night without putting a strain on his daily activities. So he walked, not expecting to find anything, but too intent on curing his restlessness.

Imagine his surprise when he discovered he had been right all along.

After three nights of combing the residential area, his fourth stroll led him to the other side of the mountain range. According to the legends of Destiny Island, they were dormant volcanoes. Most accepted this as fact, given that they lived in a tropical region, though the formations were still called 'mountains'. The industrial companies had settled on the opposite side of the mountains, and only the workers of these factories bothered to travel the cumbersome road that wound through the small mountain range. Riku was bored enough to go where no teen had gone before. Besides, he had done much more exhausting travel by now. It was almost laughable that he used to find this high road too much effort to bother with.

Factories of various sizes loomed several stories high, with small pipe-like chimneys poking the dotted sky. The moon was low in the west because of the hour, and turned the mountains into tall black cut outs against the navy and white speckled sky. Long towers of shadow draped over the industrial half of the island, throwing everything in black. Not that it deterred him. He stayed on the main road, so to the right were the factories, and to the left the mountains. The only exception was a large warehouse that had settled at the base of the range. It was two stories high, and one and a half times as long, with a red slate roof and made almost completely out of cement and brick. It was, in short, rather plain and indistinguishable. The billboard out front read "Viro Metals" in bold black letters. It was perfectly normal and dead in the night, except for the faint flickering in the windows, and smoke rising out of the chimneys.

Once upon a time, Riku's nearly insatiable curiosity would have driven him to find out just what this place really was and what was going on at this time of night. He kept on his walk, figuring that the risk of being caught for breaking and entering would not be worth whatever was in there. It was a strange idea for anyone to be running it at this time of night, though nothing suspicious.

The row of single-paned windows grated against the cement and the bottoms tilted outwards like a seesaw. When barking filled the night air he frowned in confusion. Who brought a dog to work in a factory?

He froze suddenly, and stared up at the windows. That thin mist became faint smoke that remained at the first touch, but still slipped through the fingers of anyone foolish enough to grab it. He could swear he sensed it, that presence that had tormented him nonstop all year, yet it was so faint he almost felt as though it was still his imagination. He battled with himself for a small eternity, trying to focus on the scent to see if it was true or not, but it still seemed to waver between reality and dream. Whoever was inside cranked the high windows shut again, but the fleeting scent of darkness still curled tantalizingly just out of his reach.

A tall and thick brick wall surrounded the building. The entrance was facing the road and a short driveway curved off to meet the metal gate with a giant padlock. He recognized the universal shape for a keyhole immediately and thought it convenient, but too obvious for the moment. He searched the perimeter, did not see an immediate alternative, and walked along the length of the wall to find one. A couple stacks of crates around the corner paid off for his persistence. A few jumps later, he made it to the top, and considered the first obstacle as he scanned the two windows just under the roof. Unless those were opened, or the door was unlocked, he would not be finding a way inside.

Even over the constant roll of distant waves, he heard the click of a knob. He ducked and all but crawled back down the wall onto the crates to discreetly reach the ground again. He pressed his back against the brick, and peered around the corner. After a few tense moments, a single person came through the gate. Through the black it was hard to see the person or his actions, but Riku still managed to discern the person clicking the padlock shut on the gate. Then looking to the wall corner.

Riku wondered if he had pulled back fast enough. He stilled, keeping a strained ear for any sound of approach. The only sound was the distant waves. He closed his eyes to extend his senses, but still heard nothing but the wind and waves. The tendrils of darkness concentrated. His mind sharpened as he fell back into his element. Still no sound, but a picture of the assailant formed in his mind's eye. Right beside him.

Riku's blade flashed as he swung his arm to the side. He opened his eyes in time to see a Corridor of Darkness close, the sight and scent of darkness disintegrating with it.

Riku glowered but stood rooted on the spot, his heart hammering harder than it had for almost two weeks. The person had been right in _front_ of him, yet he did not sense the approach at _all_. Well, this solidified his suspicions. The darkness was here, via the use of the Corridors. Whoever was the source had managed to slip close to him far too easily for his liking, yet did not give him a reason to see the culprit as a threat. For whatever reason, the person that had snuck up on him had the opportunity to strike, yet did not touch him, instead choosing to flee. Now he knew the canine he heard earlier had to be a guard dog, since it had not left with the person. He was tempted to try to peer through the window to see, but knew he would not be able to distinguish anything, and he highly suspected that even if he went in there now, he would find nothing but a furious dog.

There were two major questions that Riku needed answers to: Who was that person, and what was the significance of this place? The only way to find out was to ask the source itself. Naturally that meant he had to leave that night and return the next. It was only right.

He refused to admit it had something to do with the brief but refreshing flash of adrenaline.

This time he did not bother with sleep, and returned to the building earlier in the night. He was all for using the front door this time. After all, he wanted answers. He summoned his blade, and pointed to the padlock. He invoked the power, and the blade glowed in preparation for its special ability. Then the glow died, and it was dark once more.

He stared in confusion, looked to his weapon, and back to the lock. Was this a lock that could actually resist the power of the keyblade? Or was there some other force at work? Such a thing should have been impossible. This did mean one thing though: whoever was in there had been expecting him to come here, and had intended to keep him out.

The moment he thought that, a sharp groan interrupted the quiet, and Riku watched the windows grate open again. The bottoms extended up, tilting the whole pane to run parallel to the ground. This time there was no flickering light and the dog was silent. The windows finally groaned to a stop, and remained in place, practically inviting him inside. Which one was it then, a warning, or invitation? Maybe they were purposely forcing him to use the windows. A trap? Maybe. He would use as much caution as he could spare.

He walked to the side of the building again, and dismissed his blade to climb the crates and hoist himself over the wall. He landed on the other side, and saw a similar convenient stack of crates. He leapt up the side of the building, jumping harder on the last one to reach the window. His right hand had to fly up to brace against the pane and stop his momentum before he rammed his head into the glass, and he landed deftly in a crouch on the cement ledge. Then froze when a knife whistled by his ear into the night sky.

"That was a warning shot," said a feminine voice. "The next one goes through your heart. I'm giving you a total of five seconds before I fire the next one. One-"

From the low growl he heard, the guard dog was still inside, but the blackness prevented him from seeing the contents of the place. Only his nose told him where she stood.

"I didn't come here to fight," he called back. "I came to ask questions."

"-Three-"

"Just tell me what you're doing in here."

"-ur. Five."

The second knife came for him, and he caught it, feeling more than a little annoyed when he felt this one draw blood. Her aim was off, too. If he had not caught it, the blade would have injured his bent leg instead. Still, this was getting him nowhere.

"Are you just going to fight me?"

"Get lost."

His eyes adjusted, letting him see the outline of shapes inside the warehouse, and that this large room took up a little more than half the whole building. So far it appeared to be nothing more than a girl throwing knives. He could feel the darkness this close, but nothing else dangerous. Normally, he could just fight and get answers, but in this scenario, the method was more than a little flawed. If he dropped in now, he had a strong feeling he really would be landing in some kind of trap. He did not like to go by someone else's set up. He might have to try to come back during day time and figure it out. He carefully unclenched his hand and removed the knife before chucking it back down in the dark. From the outline of movement, he could tell she caught it, though could not see whether it was by blade or handle.

"I'll leave you alone for now," he called down. "But I won't stop until I find out just what you're doing here."

When he got back outside the wall, he stopped to consider his options. If he went again tomorrow night, things might turn out the same. He might have to hold off and let the others know something was up. He mentally shuffled through his options and rearing questions as he headed back.

Off the corner of his eye, he saw something glint on the pavement. He approached it with a guess to its identity, and had it confirmed when he picked it up. It was the knife that had been his "warning shot". It must have bounced off the factory behind him and landed back here. He took a look at his other hand, and even in the lack of bright light he could see the nearly black blood slowly spreading over his palm. From the sting he could tell there were two cuts: one right along his heel, and the other just under the first knuckles of his fingers. How was he going to explain this? Well, at least it was his left hand and not his right. So long as he kept it close, no one would notice.

"So that's why you've been keeping your hand in your pocket," Sora realized.

"And why you left after school yesterday," Kairi added.

"I didn't want to try to explain this," Riku finally tugged down the white arm warmer to reveal the bandages around his palm. "Not until I learned what that place was and told you about it."

If most people heard 'the dock' they would assume the small dock on the main Island. Sora and Kairi however, knew Riku had been referring to the shore of the tiny island that had once served as their playground. It was an ironclad rule that any mention of the other worlds would only take place here. So the three stood in a small triangle by the stairs of the wide dock, changed out of their uniforms.

"So then," Kairi urged, "what is that place? What does it actually do?"

"It takes ores and scrap metal and melts them into bars and sheets for other factories to use. Basically, a giant industrial forge."

"And you think Kiry's the one in there?" Kairi clarified. "How do you know for sure?"

"When I went by there, the scent was evasive. It was faint and hard to pinpoint, but darkness cloaks her completely." He shook his head. "No, not 'cloaks'. If it wasn't for her appearance, I would never guess she was human. In fact, I still think she isn't."

The two looked to each other in surprise. That was a pretty bold statement. How could anyone be that corrupted and not appear it? Then Sora considered the facts carefully.

"I believe it," he finally said. "Something about her just doesn't feel _right_ to me. And her stare is really creepy too. It's like…" he frowned as a phrase that seemed oddly appropriate came to mind, "like she's looking into your soul."

"You felt it, too? Good, it's not just me then."

"No, we should definitely keep an eye on her. I _swear_ she wanted to attack me."

"You're acting awful suspicious of someone you couldn't even remember two minutes later," Kairi frowned and put her hands on her hips. "She can't be that dangerous if you're more concerned about food."

Riku looked at Sora incredulously. "I thought I told you to keep an eye on her."

"I did!" Sora protested. "She went with Tidus to see the school, and then I just… I dunno, I blanked."

"You _blanked_."

"Look, it was just weird, okay? One minute I was ready to jump up and attack her, and the next minute she was just gone, like, flew right outta my head."

The older and quite obviously more matured out of the group sighed softly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "That's it, you just lost your watch guard privileges."

"C'mon," Sora pleaded. "You know I'm not _that_ bad."

"Whatever, I'm keeping an eye on her from now on. Last thing we need is some sneak attack when you 'blank' again."

"Now wait just a minute!" Kairi exclaimed. Her expression was stern and determined, and she indicated herself by putting a hand against her collarbone. "I may not be able to smell the darkness like Riku, and I know I'm not as good a fighter as Sora, but I've always had a good judge of character. You both agree with me, don't you?"

"Now wait just a minute!" Kairi exclaimed. Her expression was stern and determined, and she indicated herself by putting a hand against her collarbone. "I may not be able to smell the darkness like Riku, and I know I'm not as good a fighter as Sora, but I've always had a good judge of character. You both agree with me, don't you?"

"Well, yeah?" Sora shared a confused look with Riku.

He looked back, his expression wary. "What's your point?"

"I think you're both wrong," she said firmly. "I was right by her, and the only time I felt scared was when Sora became defensive. If anything, she felt more nervous around me. If I had any fear around her, I would agree with you, but I don't. I just don't think we have any reason to be afraid of her."

"She fired a _knife_ at me and intended to throw me from a window," Riku reminded. "I'm pretty sure that counts as dangerous."

"You don't know for sure if it was her," Kairi said. "You didn't see her. She must have been a worker. You said she had a key, right?"

"That's what I thought at first, but they said the last girl they had worked there months ago. If it _is_ the same person, she shouldn't be there anymore."

"Well, I don't know why she smells like the darkness, but I don't want to jump to conclusions. She seemed perfectly normal to me. Let's all talk to her tomorrow at the Plaza and get to know her, and then you'll see."

"The Plaza?" Riku glanced between them in confusion.

"Oh, right, forgot to tell you," Sora sighed. "She's going to the movies with us tomorrow."

"She's _what_? You guys _invited_ her?"

"That's what _I_ said."

"Tidus did," Kairi clarified. "But even if he hadn't, Selphie and I would have invited her anyway. Remember, this is for his sake in the first place. Let's all just try to get along tomorrow, and see what happens, all right?"

Both boys looked at each other again, obviously not liking the idea.

"Guess we don't have a choice," Sora conceded. "It's not like we can really explain to the others why we don't want her along in the first place."

"Plus, it'll be easier to keep an eye on her," Riku realized. "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Maybe this _can_ work out for the better." He was facing the ocean, and happened to notice the position of the sun. "Like Kairi said, let's see what happens tomorrow."

"Right," Sora frowned and looked up thoughtfully at the sky. "I just hope we find out what she's doing there in the first place. If there's a way someone's blocking the keyblade, we should definitely know about it."

"The sooner the better," Riku agreed.

He turned away, and headed down the shore, and Sora went to follow. It was not really an abrupt change, but it was almost tradition that the three watch the sunset together whenever they came out to the Island. Riku went on autopilot, already becoming lost in his own thoughts, but Sora noticed the third member not following. He glanced over his shoulder curiously. She was looking to the floor, the smallest hint of worry lining her brow and mouth.

"Kairi? You all right?"

She looked up at him, and gave him a small smile. "Yes, I'm fine, just thinking. About everything."

"Don't worry," he put a hand on her shoulder, and gave a reassuring smile. "I'm sure things are going to be fine. Maybe we _are_ worrying too much about this and it's nothing."

She could not help but smile a bit more. "Thanks, Sora. That's good to know."

"Great. I'll meet you there," he saluted, and ran to meet Riku at the tiny outcropping where the paopu fruit grew.

Kairi only let her smile drop when he was further away, and sighed. "Even though that's not what I'm worried about."

What worried her was the fact that even though they had returned, worries about the darkness still followed them without rest. It amplified her suspicion that Sora and Riku's journey was not over yet.

She turned to look out to the ocean, and tried not to think too hard about the implications. As a result, her mind inevitably went back to what she heard in the classroom. Ever since earlier, her ignorance nagged her, and now she finally realized why the memory bothered her. Selphie and Cherryll had specifically said Kiri did not remember how to talk. Yet Kiri had asked her something, Kairi was sure of it. She knew because Kiri had stood from her desk and looked right at Kairi, with a scrutiny that Kairi had been too worried and depressed to pay attention to, until the girl stood right beside her and called to her. It was more like a whisper, and it was not her name, but something else. Some two syllable word that was more of an inquiry than a call.

"But what did she ask?" she murmured to herself.

She could not get the luxury of losing herself in her thoughts. Something foreign bobbed and rolled in the waves toward the sand. She approached it cautiously, and saw it was a corked bottle. The clear glass gleamed in the dying light of the sun when she took it in her hands, and she gasped when she saw a very familiar royal seal on the roll of paper. She swallowed.

"Looks like… I was right," she murmured.

She raced down the shore to catch up with Sora and Riku to share her discovery, leaving the musings of the waters for another time.


	5. The Plaza

**Chapter 3**

I would like to make an honorable mention to Baka and Test, because I have to come clean and admit that Himeji was in my head for this. I just twisted a few things.

And a big thank you to Spoony from That Guy With Glasses, who first introduced me to Final Fantasy X, via a very interesting fan review (I did play it afterwards, though). If any of you have seen it, you'll recognize the references immediately. If you haven't seen it, watch it. Seriously. I just had to have a little fun with it.

Yeah, that's pretty much what this chapter is. Fun. Also one of my longer ones. This and the next will be my longest chapters out of the fic. (…that I know of so far.)

* * *

><p>The next day was bright and balmy with a few innocent clouds, giving a good indication of the day to come. Yet Kiri's eyes were dark and solemn as she looked blearily at her reflection in the mirror. Over the normal shirt she had a navy blazer closed just under the third button, and accentuating the very light curve of her figure. The blue sleeves of the jacket ended just above her elbows, though it was peculiar because her arms were still covered with long white sleeves. With fingerless black cotton gloves, most of her arms were covered. She played it safe and wore a white blouse beneath her blue blazer, and a shin-length dark violet skirt, but wore lace-up knee length brown boots, that boosted her height a full two inches. Cherryll would have killed her if she saw the ensemble. Kiri sighed very softly through her nose and rubbed her eyes with her palms.<p>

"Stay awake," she chanted to herself. "Stay awake…" She dropped her hands and looked back up at the mirror. "You can do this. You can do this. You can-"

The doorbell rang and Kiri jumped before running to the door, but suddenly, traitorously, her eyes went to her desk. Temptation glinted in the light from her window. After an internal battle, she lunged forward and grabbed her good luck charm.

"Have a nice day, honey," came her mother's call once she reached the hallway.

"Thank you. Bye everyone," she saluted quickly without looking at her family, and all but ran out the door.

Selphie greeted her with a wide smile. "Hi! Ready to go?"

Kiri nodded quickly. She matched her eager smile. "Yes!"

"Perfect! I already picked up Sora, so we'll meet the others at the ferry."

Kiri's smile dropped as she saw the boy standing farther ahead, out of sight of the door, but clearly waiting for them. He noticed her stare, and grinned brightly as he waved.

"Hi, Kiry! Ready for today?"

She let out a discreet sigh and resigned to her fate. "Sure."

As ready as she would ever be.

The Plaza was not actually a part of the main island, but rather a construct on one of the smaller islands that had developed into an almost completely retail-based area. The only thing separating it from the mainland was a five minute ferry ride from the east shore. When the three arrived, the others were already talking by the gate. The one exception was Riku, who was leaning against the rail and watching the others. He looked their way and locked eyes with Sora for a moment before looking to Kiri. She finally looked away from him as she approached. Kairi and Tidus broke out of conversation with another girl, and gave them all a smile.

"Hi Sora," Kairi greeted. "Hi Selphie. Hello, Kiry."

"Hello," she said, and smiled as well, though it was a smaller one. "Uh, how are you?" she said awkwardly.

"I'm fine, thanks. And you?"

"I'm fine," she shrugged, and let the subject drop.

"Hey, looks like everyone's here," Tidus said. "Kiry, this is Mani. Mani, meet Kiry."

She was a small girl, with a sweet face and cute nose, with beautiful bright green eyes that had just a hint of teal. She had modest, but shapely curves for a girl her age. She had a white knee-length skirt, and a sleeveless top that matched her eyes, but what snagged Kiri's attention was her hair. She was a watermelon-dirty-blonde. That meant pink ribbons of hair curled around her shoulders and fell down her back midway. Kiri resisted the urge to moan in longing, wishing her hair was half as pretty as Mani's.

"Hello," Mani greeted in a small voice, and she glanced up a moment, though looked back down to the little purse in her hands. "It's nice to meet you, Kiry. We didn't meet yesterday, but I go to the same school. I'm in 2A."

Kiri was wide-eyed as she looked over Mani, and the others waited expectantly. Riku figured she was just going to give a polite first greeting, so was surprised when she actually spoke.

"Thank you," she said, and Kiry's smile brightened instantly. "It's very nice to meet you too. You look absolutely adorable today."

Mani's eyes sparkled at the sudden praise. She smiled shyly, and looked back up. "You think so? I wasn't sure what to wear today." She swished her skirt a bit before holding it out. "Does it look good? I was afraid it was too simple."

"It's perfect. I mean, just look at _me_," She put one hand on her hip, and made a half spin to swish her own long skirt, before flipping back her hair. "No fashion sense."

Most watching had to work to keep a straight face at the blunt self-jab, and Mani held back her chuckles. Riku wondered what had prompted the sudden cheer.

"Oh, I think it still looks good," Mani said. "You can say you're ahead of the crowd."

"If there _were_ a crowd to follow. I tend to throw things together for comfort more than anything." She grinned. "Of course, someone as cute as you could probably make even this outfit look good."

The girl giggled, even as her hand went to her pink face. "Stop it, you're making me blush."

"Sorry." She winked. "But I meant what I said."

"Hey man," Wakka whispered to Tidus. "You better watch it, yeah? She's flirting with your girlfriend better than _you_ are."

"She is _not_," he muttered back.

"Yeah well, even if she wasn't, try her hair. Girl's _love_ that."

"Last call for this ride," yelled the pilot for the boat.

"Okay everyone, on we go," Selphie directed.

Sora, Riku and Kairi took seats at the end of the ferry benches. Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus took the other side, with Mani sitting down next to Tidus and Kiri taking a seat beside her.

"Hey," Tidus said to Mani as the engine started up. "I know I didn't get the chance to tell you yet, but, uh… your hair looks really good today."

"You mean you noticed?" One finger went up to twirl a lock in front of her shoulder. "You really think so?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. It looks cute."

Mani did not say anything, but the way her face lit up made the effect of his flattery clear as crystal. They both missed the thumbs up Selphie sent to Kiry. Kiry smiled back, and resisted the urge to bounce. She was practically giddy with her first success.

"Well," Kairi murmured, "she seems friendly, don't you think?"

"To Mani, at least," Sora muttered back. "She wouldn't even _talk_ to me when we were walking." He glanced to his opposite side. "What do you think?"

"She knows how to talk with others." Riku shrugged, and glanced over to Kiri when he felt her eyes. She looked away quickly and went back to her conversation with Mani.

The waters were calm since Destiny Island had no high waves, and the boat steadily cut through the surface. The wind turned just a few degrees colder out on the sea, and sent everyone's hair and clothes into frenzy. The smell of sea salt permeated the air, and the open space just hyped up the excitement everyone was feeling for the trip. Selphie watched Kiri and Mani delve into pleasant small talk for the trip, and let her mind drift to her visit yesterday. It had gone rather well, obviously, since Kiri was here with them without a hitch. The only thing that bothered her was the conversation at the end of the visit, when Kiri's mother had spoken with Selphie privately after the meal.

_Selphie, tell the truth, did she eat lunch at school today?_

_No, but she said she was expecting to eat at home. Why?_

_It's just… no reason. Can you do me a favor? Make sure she eats a little something tomorrow?_

_Sure, I suppose I could. We were planning to have lunch anyway._

_And keep an eye on her. I'm sorry to ask this of you, but Cherryll won't be there, and I'm worried._

_It's all right, I understand. I'll keep an eye on her tomorrow, okay?_

It was just… strange. It was a perfectly innocent request, but something about it just set her at odds. Of course Selphie was worried about the girl, but she did not expect to be appointed as an actual babysitter. Maybe she could try to bring it up gently, when the others were busy. Though could not think of when they would be alone.

"Selphie?" Kairi spoke from across the ferry. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh no, I'm fine. Just trying to think of what to do first."

"We'll figure something out. Don't worry about it too much."

"I know. I won't."

Well, she figured it was best to try to let things run their course. And be ready to steady them if need be.

Little tots tended to go with their parents to the playground or the park. Kids often went to the beach, and the few adventurous ones would go off to the deserted little island, but the Plaza was where the teens thrived, and everyone who lived in Destiny Islands knew it. Even the moment the passengers for the ferry got off, The Plaza lived up to its expectations. A giant archway with the namesake emblazoned in bright paint greeted the newcomers, with smaller signs advertising different shop names, all surrounded by flowers and tropical plants native to the Island. Sora picked up a brochure.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about those," Kairi said. "We know our way around pretty well."

"Force of habit," he shrugged, and opened it up anyway. "I like to have a map on me."

Kiry wondered why he would possibly make a habit out of taking maps. Did he travel around a lot? She lost nerve to ask, and went back to her curious gazing, but she stayed close to Mani. There were a lot of bodies milling though the square and between the shops, and the last thing she needed was to run into anyone.

All the buildings were different shapes and sizes, and connected to each other in a ring. In the center of the main ring, a wide, shallow fountain shot jets of water into the sky in alternating patterns, amusing the smaller kids a couple families brought along in their shopping spree. The theater was almost directly after the entrance to their left, and the teens gathered below the white lined billboard on top of the ticket office to view the titles and times.

"All right, the movie starts at five," Selphie said, "which gives us a few hours of fun to work with. So, who votes for eating now, and who votes for later?"

"Now, please," Tidus raised his hand. "I'm starved."

"I'm hungry too," Kairi admitted. "It _is_ almost our usual lunch time."

"True," Selphie conceded. "Is that all right with everyone else?"

There were general assents of agreement, so they began their day of fun with a journey to one of the most imperative locations of the Plaza: the food court. The main square had two breaks in the ring that led to smaller lots and more shops. Kairi, Wakka, and Tidus led the others down the first one. The trip itself took nearly a half hour. The path was short and straight, but the shops were ideally set for window shopping, which distracted almost every person at one point or another. Mannequins displayed new clothing fashions; jewelry sparkled in the sun, and novelty shops displayed their enticing knickknacks on miniature shelves right behind the windows.

Through the walk, everyone switched sides and partners without keeping track, but only the three carefully observing Kiry noticed that she kept a certain distance from her watchers. Whether it was just on the opposite side of the group, or stopping behind them every time they halted, she seemed to keep a barrier of distance between them.

"Oh, it's so cute," Kairi cooed when she saw a shining little bird in the window. She stepped up beside Kiry, "Don't you think?"

She shifted almost immediately at the sudden proximity. "Yes, it's very cute." She looked to the side and took a few steps to the other side of the window. "I think I like this one better though."

For a second, Kairi stared. "You mean the 'for sale' sign?"

"No, no, next to it."

After another moment of searching, she saw the creature just below eye level. "Oh, you mean the lizard?"

"Right. The lizard." She stepped back and retreated to the middle of the walkway again. "That's probably just me though."

Odd, Kairi could have sworn Kiry's eyes had been focused up. Kairi thought it must have been her imagination, but she still felt like Kiry was making an _extra_ effort to stay away from her. The animated conversations she had first with Mani, then Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka seemed like a stark contrast to the clipped dialogue she had with her.

It was only when everyone finally arrived to the food court that they realized they could not agree on what they wanted to eat. After a few moments of squabbling, Kairi came up with the idea to just split up, get what they wanted and meet back at a table. It looked like a long rectangular one was free, so they agreed to meet there.

"I'll save it," Kiry spoke up. "To make sure no one else takes it while we're gone."

"Are you sure?" Selphie said uncertainly. "I could wait with you so we can get lunch together."

"No, it's fine. I'll just wait until someone comes back. I don't really know what I want anyway yet."

"Okay. Well, if you're sure, then I'll try to hurry back."

"It's all right," she smiled easily. "I can wait."

She chose a chair at the end of the table, and settled down, propping her chin on one hand, and almost instantly staring sightlessly out in the open. Everyone split to their destinations, Mani and Tidus going together, as well as Sora and Kairi, but everyone else stayed single. Kiry lost track of time, but she still felt it was a very short while before the first person returned. She realized why when she saw Riku approach with nothing but a large drink.

As soon as he sat down, she sat up straight, and even leaned back into her chair, but he did not look at her, sipping his dark soda. She blinked at him initially, before she looked at his large white cup.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Kiri asked.

"Not hungry."

She looked at the large cup, as though trying to decide what she thought of it. Riku knew he must have been reading her expression wrong when he deciphered it. Was that a hint of jealousy?

"Oh." She tried a small smile. "Waiting for popcorn at the movies?"

"Maybe. We'll see how I feel then."

He gave no other attempt at conversation, and her smile dropped, and she glanced away. "I see."

The two sat in awkward company, both feeling the tension, but unsure how to dispel it. She took a hesitant glance, and studied him, and after only a second, he caught her eye. She looked down again to hide her crime, and did not move her gaze from the table, even when he went back to his drink.

'Say something,' she scolded herself. 'Say something! Now is the perfect opportunity! You are fearless, fearless!'

"Um…" Her voice caught in her throat. "Is your hand okay?"

He stopped mid-sip and looked at her. She glanced up at him again, and his eyes were hard with suspicion and caution. She wilted after a few moments of eye contact, and brought her hands down to her lap under the table. Brilliant move on her part.

"You don't have to answer," she said softly. "I just noticed that you were holding your left hand very close, and that you were wearing an arm warmer. I thought maybe you had gotten an injury."

He had to admit it was a good save, to use simple observation like that. After all, she had never actually seen him before. Sora and Kairi realized it, but only because he told them. Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka would not have noticed unless they actually paid attention, like she had. She was risking a lot incriminating herself like that. Though it was funny she was actually showing "concern" like this.

"I'm fine," he answered. "This is normal for me."

"Oh," she said and half shrugged. "Never mind then."

Despite her brush off, he kept his gaze on her. Kiri curled her boots under the seat, and her fingers met in a wheel.

"So, Selphie told me yesterday," she started out carefully, and braved the waters to look up again. "That you're actually an old friend of hers, and you've been gone for a year. So, where did you go? On a trip?"

Because they made eye contact, she saw the change; that almost undetectable shift in steeled emotion that belonged to a person that had heard a painful question many times before, and had learned to deal with it.

"You could say that," he said, and looked down to his drink. "I left the Island for a while, but I didn't like what I saw. So I came back."

He did not make eye contact, but she could still clearly see his eyes, because of his height and angle. She got lost in trying to read them, and the tension left her body as she felt something unfortunately familiar.

"I'm sorry."

He looked up at her, and knew that this time he heard correctly.

"What for?"

She swallowed once, and fidgeted, before she caught movement in her peripheral vision, and she looked up to see Kairi and Sora nearing them.

"Nothing, never mind," she said quickly, and stood. "I should go get lunch now."

She hurried past them without so much as a glance, but still gave them a wide berth that they both could not help but notice. Kairi turned to her.

"I'll be sure to save your spot, okay?" She called as she took a seat next to the chair she had been sitting in.

Sora took a seat beside Riku, and opened up the foil wrapping for his lunch. "So," he started casually. "Anything new?"

Riku finally took his eyes off of Kiri, before shifting back into his seat. "She seems concerned about my well-being."

Both of them looked to him in question, but knew it would have to wait until later when they saw Wakka approaching.

Kiri strolled along the restaurants, mulling over the absolute failure of her last encounter and the implications, until Tidus and Mani happened to exit the place they had chosen, and told herself to get back to being outgoing. Tidus saw Kiry, and flashed a toothy grin in greeting, and Mani gave a little wave. She waved back, and noticed the orange tray with a small green salad and tiny drink. Kiry looked at it, and caught Mani's eye.

"That's all you're getting?"

"Yes," she said.

"Guess she's like Sora," Tidus shrugged. "Really likes salads."

'Sora likes salads'? It sounded wrong, somehow, like it conflicted with an assumption Kiri had known for a while. She was not sure why the statement sounded odd to her, but she batted it away for the situation at hand. Mani shrugged a little helplessly, and sent her that knowing smile. Kiri watched the two as they left. She fought with herself a moment, before making a decision, and going back to her hunt.

Kiry returned to the table with a white paper bag in time to see Tidus guzzling down his drink, and Mani patting his back awkwardly.

"Man, don't kill yourself," Wakka laughed.

Selphie sighed. "Slow _down_ when you eat."

Kiri could not understand what Mani could possibly see in Tidus. It could not say very well for her if the boy she liked was too stupid to _eat_. She saw a save, and went for the seat across from Mani.

"Oh, Kiry," Kairi called out. "Your spot is still here."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Kiry said quickly. "I just want to talk more with Mani. I hope you're not offended."

"Oh, none taken," she waved off, and watched as she went for the other end of the table. She looked at the two across from her, and lowered her voice. "Does she seem to be avoiding us to you?"

"Maybe," Sora muttered, and glanced to Riku. "What do you think?"

The moment she sat down and Tidus finally put the drink on the table, there was another cough, and a jerk and the others turned in alarm.

"You too, Riku?" Selphie said in exasperation.

"I didn't mean for you to answer right away," Sora whispered in amusement as he clapped his back.

Kiri turned away and stared dryly heavenward for a moment, before sighing and taking out her food. "Thank you, karma," she whispered.

"You say something?" Selphie asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," she smiled charmingly, and brought out her large drink, mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce, large tray of seasoned curly fries, and foot-long Philly cheese steak sandwich with tomato, lettuce and onion.

Those sitting immediately around her stared at the feast before her, and watched in rapture as she opened one half of the sandwich, and drizzled on spicy barbeque sauce. She picked up one half of her sandwich, pressed the bread together, and stretched her jaw almost impressively to get the whole bite in her mouth. Selphie tilted her head warily as she chewed quickly and swallowed.

"Isn't that a bit much?" she asked uncertainly. "You didn't have to get all that…"

"I always eat a big lunch," she said innocently. "I only have one meal a day, so I tend to eat a lot at once." And this time she stretched her mouth to take an even bigger bite. She chewed as quickly as she dared and swallowed. "Which kind of sucks, because my parents aren't always around when I eat, so they think I starve myself." Another bite. "Thish 'ish good," she said over her mouthful.

"How do you do that, though?" Tidus asked. "I'm starving by lunch, and I could _never_ go to bed without dinner."

"Works for me," Kiry shrugged, then pulled down her sleeve to show her forearm. "Not skin and bones. I'm just fine."

"If you say so."

"Are you really going to eat all that at once?" Mani asked in awe, as though seeing a fantastic circus performance.

She pouted, took a gulp of her drink, and huffed in offense. "Of course, that's why I got it." She stared down at Mani's plate. "But is that going to be enough for you?"

Mani bit her lip as she looked down at her small salad, and blushed when everyone was now looking at her.

"I don't really eat that much," she assured.

Kairi and Selphie sent her empathetic glances, Wakka rolled his eyes and bit down on his burrito, and Kiri took out the extra napkins that came with her meal, and poured almost half of the fries on one, and placed a few sticks on the other. Mani jumped.

"Oh, Kiry, please don't," she begged as she realized her intention. "I'm really not that hungry."

"Well, then you can throw them out later," she pushed both trays near Mani's plate and kept the napkins for herself. "They're yours now."

"But, what if you're still hungry?"

"I have a whole sandwich, I'll be fine. I might have gotten more than I need anyway." She took a stick and dipped it in the marinara before taking a happy bite. She daintily covered her mouth as she spoke around her food. "'Sides, we'll be eating later anyway, right? Come to think of it…" She took her uneaten half of sandwich and broke off a piece and put it over another napkin. "I'll save this for you later, just in case."

Mani looked to the fries and sticks uncertainly, afraid to reach out and touch them and give in.

"You should take 'em."

Mani looked with surprise to Tidus.

"I mean hey, she offered, and free food, right?" he grinned at her. "And I don't know how you do it, but a salad would _never_ be enough for me. Might as well take a few."

She still seemed uncertain, but eventually caved. "Well, if you insist." She took a fry, and nibbled on it. "These are good. Thank you, Kiry."

"You're welcome," she smiled.

Kairi and Selphie smiled at each other, and Wakka raised one impressed eyebrow at the girl next to him. Tidus went back to eating. Sora looked to his friend in confusion, sensing he had just missed out on something, but did not want to ask what it was. Riku provided no respite, and just went back to his drink, wondering if he was thinking too much into it when he suspected that Kiry had planned to force the food onto her in the beginning.

"But man, I gotta say," Wakka looked down, "I don't think I've seen anyone that small eat so much."

"I'm a growing girl," she countered. "I need to keep up my strength and get my nutrients."

"From a cheese steak sandwich and fries?" Tidus looked like he was about to laugh.

"Sure," she pointed to each food item as she named them. "I have protein from my meat, dairy from my cheese, carbs from my bread, lettuce, onion, and tomato for vegetables, starch from my fries, and more carbs and dairy from the cheese sticks, in case it wasn't enough."

"I probably shouldn't ask this, but…" Selphie tilted her head slowly. "Where does that logic come from?"

"Friend of mine. He was always trying to make his lunches wholesome. He tried to make an argument once that pie was a legitimate form of breakfast food."

"Are you serious?" Sora could not help but ask. "How?"

"Well, as he put it, waffles and pancakes were originally a dessert item, but somehow turned into a breakfast food. And a lot of people put extra sweet stuff on it, like syrup. So he figures that if people are allowed to eat waffles and pancakes for breakfast, then 'people should leave him well enough alone and let him eat what he'... 'wants'."

"Lose your train of thought?" Wakka said in amusement.

"I had to censor myself." Kiry defended. "He's a little colorful."

"Should've brought him along." Wakka said. "I coulda gotten along with him."

She blinked. "Actually, I probably could have. No, wait, he's always busy on the weekends."

"Doing what?"

"Um… personal projects."

"That's too bad," He took a bite of his burrito. "Let's see, I got… flour for the tortilla, right? There's my grains. Beans got plenty of protein, and there's lots of lettuce too. Plus I got chicken, so hey, I'm pretty sure I'm good on this."

Sora looked down at his hot dog in sudden thought. "I don't even know what's in this."

"Nobody does," Selphie pointed out.

"But hey, I know its meat, so it's still gotta have protein in here, right?"

Kairi laughed. "All the protein's probably been ground out by now."

Riku swirled his cup. "You'd have a better chance with the beans from Wakka's burrito."

"True. Hey Wakka-"

"No."

"Stingy!" He countered, making the rest of the table snicker.

"I've been meaning to ask," Tidus piped up. "Did you turn vegetarian or something? You practically eat salad everyday at school."

"Well, sort of," Sora hedged. "I've been kind of losing taste for most meats."

"Cept hot dogs."

"Cept hot dogs," he affirmed. "Because they're the best." And he took a large bite to revel in it.

"You should try duck."

Everyone swiveled around to stare at Kiri.

"I tried it once at a restaurant," Kiri elaborated. "Not a lot of people try it, but it's pretty good."

Sora had his mouth frozen in mid chew, but Riku and Kairi's faces were almost identical with worry as they looked at each other. Sora tried to go back to his chewing, but the hot dog suddenly felt heavy in his mouth, and even when he finally swallowed, he put down his food, and looked almost longingly at his plate.

"I just lost my appetite."

Riku put down his cup. "It's not even duck."

"Hot _dog_."

Kairi got up to get next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," he brushed off. "Just not really hungry anymore. Maybe I'll get something later." He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Of all the suggestions she had to give," he muttered.

"I'm… sorry," Kiri offered awkwardly. "I just thought he would have tried chicken already, so I thought it would be a better alternative. It's a little oily, but its dark meat is pretty good, and it's not too tough."

With each passing word, Sora seemed to take on a shade of green and at one point put a hand over his mouth and jerked like he was about to heave.

"Come on," Kairi said quickly, and pulled his arm to lead him to where he needed to go.

Everyone stared after them. Kiri hunched over more and more in her chair, and got very still, hoping no one would notice her.

"Is he… going to be okay?" Mani asked hesitantly.

"Uh, sure, I think…" Tidus said.

"Well," Selphie started out. "Kairi has him, so he should be fine."

"Right, you know Sora, he'll be bouncin' back before we know it." Wakka assured, and glanced at the almost frozen Kiry. "Erm, you okay?"

"I should've gotten a salad." She murmured. "Stupid sandwich is what started everything in the first place. I should've just kept my mouth shut and avoided this whole thing."

"Hey, lighten up," Tidus said. "I mean, I'm the one that kind of opened up the whole thing in the first place."

"Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself," Wakka clapped the back of her shoulder. "It's not like we knew that would happen either. He's only been like that since he got back." He turned to Riku. "Right?"

"Right." Riku played with his cup again, a little tense. "He kind of… picked it up while he was away."

Kiri scuffed her shoes a moment, before forcing another bite of sandwich into her mouth, and did not say another word as the others managed to find other topics to work out. Maybe her idea of being more 'helpful and outgoing' was not as great as it first seemed to be.

Since they were so engrossed in conversation, almost nobody noticed when she carefully ripped off small chunks of her sandwich and placed them in her bag. Riku watched the curious behavior and wondered if she was trying to act like she was sorry for what she did. It was a bit of a stretch to assume she lost her appetite because of genuine guilt. Though it was also a bit of stretch to think the whole thing had been part of some diabolical plan to render the keyblade master inoperable, only because she was not taking advantage of his absence in any way. Yet even as he looked at it, she would have been the only enemy that had made Sora run the other way without even drawing a weapon.

He took a sip of his drink to hide the smirk, and berated himself for finding amusement at a time like this.

When Sora returned, he was just as bouncy and energetic as ever, and even joked about the whole exchange. Kiri kept her eyes down and still did not speak a word, not until everyone finally stood to leave and throw everything away. Wakka looked down at her.

"You actually ate the whole thing?"

She threw her bag into the trash, leaving none the wiser. "I said I would."

"Nice."

"Well, that's good," Selphie popped up. "I guess that means we don't have to worry about you starving yourself. Come on, everyone, where to first?"

Tidus looked to Mani. "Uh, any place you want to go first?"

"Not really. I'm fine with wherever everyone else wants to go."

"Well," Wakka started out. "This is supposed to be a hangout, right?" He crossed his arms, and smirked down at Tidus, then Kairi. "And where's the best place to hang out on a Saturday afternoon?"

Kairi and Tidus took one look at Wakka, then at each other, then grinned and said simultaneously: "The arcade!"

Slephie sighed affectionately. "You three and your games."

"I didn't know you liked games, Kairi," Sora said in surprise.

"You never asked," she laughed. "Come on, I need to show you and Riku around."

"Is that okay with you?" Tidus asked Mani.

"I've never been in one before," she admitted. "I'm kind of curious."

"What about you, Kiri?" Selphie asked.

"It's fine."

"It's decided then, yeah?" Wakka said. "To the arcade!"

The arcade was dark, loud, and crowded. But at least it had variety.

After grabbing their tokens, the group split into three troupes. Tidus and Mani went away to play the claw grabbing game, Kairi dragged Sora and Riku away arm-in-arm-in-arm to tour the back, and Wakka brought Selphie and Kiri to a fighter game toward the front.

Selphie was not one for video games, but she managed to succeed a bit under Wakka's careful tutelage. It reminded her of when they used to play as kids, and she got a bit more skilled in learning the combos. After three rounds, she had managed to actually get good enough to make Wakka _try_ to win. Kiri was not so fortunate. No matter how she tried, the buttons were strange to her, the graphics confused her, and it was something she just could not seem to get a handle on.

"Eh, it's not for everyone," Wakka shrugged. "Maybe you'd like to try a racing game instead."

That was what Sora was doing. There was a motorcycle racing game Kairi showed him, and he jumped at the chance for it. He managed to get third place on his first try, and steadily kept in first place all the subsequent games. Kiri, however, kept her eyes on Riku as they approached. When he finally felt her stare, he turned, but she dropped her eyes quickly.

"The controls are _okay_," Sora said as he got off after winning the virtual cup. "But really delayed, and the graphics are terrible."

"Sure, compared to what _you're_ used to playing," Riku pointed out. "This is an arcade, remember?"

Kiri frowned a bit in confusion. Where else could you play a game besides an arcade?

"I know," Sora shrugged, "but you can't even attack the other players. That's half the fun."

"You're not _supposed_ to," Kairi laughed.

"You should. How else can you get rid of the competition? I swear they were trying to run me off the road."

"And you say _I_ complain," Riku said.

"I'm not complaining, I'm critiquing."

'Yeah right,' Kiri thought. 'That was _so_ complaining.'

"Well, how about it, Kiry?" Kairi asked. "Want to try?"

She managed to hide her flinch, and smiled nervously. "No thanks," she said. "I'll leave the racing games to Sora."

"And you, Riku?"

"I'll do the same. Doesn't look too appealing."

"Come on, Riku, you still haven't tried anything. You need to play _something_."

"Nothing's interested me. If I find something that does, I'll try it."

"Perfect. Then I'll have something else to kick your butt on."

"Dream on." He smirked.

Kiri stared, silently wondering how she could approach him. Maybe ask if he was free for a few minutes? If she could just talk to him in private for a few minutes... He felt her stare, and glanced back to her, losing the smile instantly. She lost her nerve and turned away to hurry off. Selphie watched her go in worry, and Sora happened to see her in his line of sight. He tilted his head.

"Anyone else notice that she moves around a lot?"

Wakka followed her to the table she had stopped to look at.

"See you found table hockey. Wanna try?"

"I don't know. I'm trying to figure it out."

"Well, there's a sign right here," he pointed.

"There is?" She followed his finger. "Oh… so there is."

"Let's see what it says," Sora decided, and bent down to read the diagrams and instructions. After a few moments of scanning the list, he grinned, and straightened. "Hey, Riku, I'll play you this. I bet even you might like this."

"You sure about that?" He followed and looked down at it. "Doesn't look too appealing right now."

"Well you have to _try_ it first."

"Hey," Wakka said suddenly. "Ladies first, the girl called dibs."

"I know that, I meant _after_."

"Oh, no, that's fine, really," she insisted. "I learn better if I watch first anyway."

Wakka shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll play you next, if you want. I'll go easy on ya 'til ya learn the ropes."

She smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

Sora had been putting his tokens in the moment Kiri gave her consent. The token slots were on the side of the table, and once he pushed them in, a thin orange puck slid out of the dispenser beside them. The scoreboard was a hunk of machinery held up by curved support beams in the middle of the table, and flashed two zeros on both sides. Under the scoreboard, the lights blared on the table, making the blue surface and tiny plastic walls reflect from the light. Sora slid to his designated side, with Riku taking up the other. He noticed his handled piece sliding across the porous surface, and picked it up curiously. Sora did the same, and tentatively put the puck down to glide it across with his finger.

"Cool…"

"The game?" Tidus reminded.

"Oh, right! Rules are simple," he began and picked the puck back up. "Basically, guard your goal while trying to make it into mine. We only use these," he waved the piece. "First one to score seven wins."

"What goals?"

"These goals," he tapped the top of the slit on his side. "So it's gotta stay on the surface. Ya got all that?"

"Yeah, I got it. But it's probably a different story with you." He placed his handle piece on the surface.

Sora smirked. "We'll see about that." He warned, dropped the puck, and struck it fast, but Riku deflected it.

"Be careful, you two," Kairi warned.

They both started hard, instantly going for the other's goal. They went straight forward, trying to cut down the middle of the arena with quick movements as they tried to get used the foreign equipment and controls. Until Sora scored the first goal.

Then there was no movement as the scoreboard flashed "0 1", and Riku slowly picked up the puck from his slot. He stared at Sora's smug expression evenly, and held up the puck like a card.

"You, are going down." He stated as a matter-of-fact.

Sora grinned. "You'll have to score first."

Then the puck went down, and the game was _on_. Their movements were so fast that you could miss a strike if you blinked. They stopped just trying to cut down the middle, and started shooting at angles of the wall to try to outsmart each other, but their reflexes were quick to save. Riku did manage to get the next goal, and the one after, but Sora got the next, making them tie. They were so focused on their game, they did not even hear their friend's cheers, or notice when even strangers stopped by to watch, enraptured by the moves they were seeing. Sora caught one of Riku's strikes, and shot it up. The puck ricocheted off the wall, and went sailing out of the arena, until Riku caught it between his first two fingers. Everyone's jaw dropped in awe, especially the stranger's.

"Hey," Sora complained. "No hands."

"Then keep it on the surface," he scolded, and put it back down to shoot it off again.

Understandably, the game had effectively stolen everyone's focus. The only word that could describe this phenomenon was, unarguably, 'epic'. Kiri was interested in who would win, but she was so tired the moves were an indistinguishable blur. The last thing she wanted was to separate from everyone when they were in a group, but keeping stationary was not helping her stay awake. Why was she so drained all of a sudden?

The meal. She held back a groan when she realized she had just sabotaged herself, and cursed her overworked conscience. She blinked a few times, and eased out of the crowd. She had to walk around and find something to do, to keep herself occupied a bit longer.

Kiri glanced around the games and found something that she had not noticed before. She looked to the peculiar machine, and reached out to feel the curtain. A covered game? Well, not like it would do anything different anyway. She was hopeless in a place like this. She was going to just walk around to get her energy up, but she nearly ran into someone. Oh, crud she must have been really tired.

"Oh no, I'm sorry," she murmured. "I wasn't-"

"Oh, shoot, I'm sorry, are you okay?" he asked in a high voice. "Ugh, stupid new frames."

She looked up in surprise at the honest apology. He was an average looking guy, with a messy mop of dirty blonde hair, and too many freckles over his nose, which made the brown of his eyes even more apparent. He had a white shirt with a faded logo and simple black shorts, in all, nothing spectacular. She watched him adjust the glasses that had slipped, and she grinned, her excitement taking over.

"Yeah, I'm great, really," She pointed to the machine. "Can you tell me what this is?"

The boy finally got the spectacles on straight and peered in the direction of her pointing. "The Expedition? Well, it's a hunting game. You poach animals with a crossbow."

"Really?" She looked to it curiously. It was certainly unexpected. And if it was a hunting game, then… "If it's not fighting, it shouldn't be too bad…"

He finally looked at her, and suddenly felt tongue tied. There was a cute girl, right here, wanting to play a game! She was not actually laughing at it. Oh man, he thought he had just died and gone to heaven. He blinked and got his senses back.

"Er, actually, you might not want to play that game. See the sign? It's kind of violent."

"It is?"

She looked at the booth uncertainly, and the boy could feel his excitement diminishing. Oh, who was he fooling? She'd never be interested in him.

"Right, um, good luck, sorry again," he said quickly and tried to get past.

"What's your name?"

He stopped. "Um, Gelick."

"Can you help me, Gelick?" She said suddenly. "I really want to play this."

"Oh, you want me to teach you?" He asked in surprise.

"Something like that. I'd _really_ appreciate the help."

He blushed. "W-Well, I just used the last of my tokens…"

"That's okay, I'll pay. Come on."

She took his wrist and jumped into the machine and he stumbled in after her. She fished out her tokens from her blazer pocket.

"So how do you play?" She asked.

"Well, it's pretty easy to get. You just take the controller here like this, see?" He pulled out the plastic rendition from the cradle, and moved it around in demonstration. "And point it at the screen. You just need to pull the trigger here, hit the targets, and you get points depending on how close you make it to the heart."

"Okay then. That sounds easy." She retrieved the crossbow control. "Hey Gelick, can I ask you a favor?"

"Yeah, sure, anything."

"This is something I really need to do, but some people will get angry at me if they find this out… so, just for my sake," she focused in on him, and he was suddenly tongue-tied as her single brown eye bore into his, "Could you not tell anyone what I'm about to do?" she smiled, put a finger to her lips, and winked. "It'll be our little secret, okay?"

His entire face bloomed scarlet, and his glasses steamed. "Yeah, sure, of course, my lips are sealed!"

"Sh," she said playfully. "Not so loud. Here, let me get those," she chuckled, and slipped off his glasses to clean them.

"Ah, please be careful, I really need those, or I can barely walk…"

"Don't worry, they're cute, but I promise I'll put them back," she teased as she wiped them with her sleeve. "Thank you, Gelick. I'm really grateful."

Gelick had to lean against the back of the booth, so that his weak knees would not send him to the floor.

Back at the game of table hockey, the game had gotten more intense, yet both opponents refused to back down, putting all of their focus into the pieces and maneuvers. The score was six to six, and everyone was on the edge of their seats and held their breath to see who would lose the edge and go down. They went harder, faster, the puck zooming across the table in the arena and baffling the onlookers. It seemed like the game would be going on forever.

Then Riku stopped when he felt something, and the puck went in.

"Score!" Sora cheered when the buzzer went off.

There were cheers from the onlookers, and some gave their congratulations. Riku did not say anything, but looked at the crowd where his friends were standing, and started when he realized there was a face missing. He glanced around, but still did not see her.

"Hey, nice game man," someone said from behind him. "That was some serious playing."

Riku looked behind him in confusion, and figured they must have been talking to Sora. He looked out to the crowd again. "Where's Kiri?"

Sora winced, before smiling apologetically to the stranger, who shrugged at his companion and took his leave.

"She's right…" Wakka stopped when he realized the girl had disappeared. "Where'd she go?"

Gelick stepped out of the booth, his eyes glazed and out of focus. The color had drained from his face, his entire body shaking with the after-effects of adrenaline and terror.

"I've seen hell," he murmured, "and she wears a blue blazer."

"Gelick?"

"Yes!" He jumped when she practically popped up next to him.

"Here," she giggled when she held out the glasses. "It's like you for…" she stopped and yawned. "…forgot all about them. Sorry, I can barely keep my eyes open."

He gawked, wide-eyed at her. She was _tired_?

"Uh, yeah," he carefully retrieved them, and slipped them on. "Thanks, glad you had fun, I have to go now."

"Thanks again," she waved. "Good-bye."

He fast walked out of the establishment, and ran into another person on his way out.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "But I really can't help you!"

He dashed out of the doors. Tidus looked after him, and frowned.

"Sheesh, talk about rude. The least he could have done was ask if I was okay."

"I guess courtesy has gotten rarer," Mani said.

The others shrugged.

"Kiri!" Selphie called out. "There you are. Where'd you go?"

"I was just talking to my new friend. He's really nice, he helped me out."

"All _right_," Wakka said as they approached the covered machine "I see you found the Expedition! Now this is _my_ game. Three weeks of keeping in the top score, and no one's been able to pass it yet."

"That good, huh?" Sora grinned. "Well, let's see if I can come close then." He glanced at the side of the machine where a white board said "WARNING: MATURE PLAYERS ONLY". Well heck, he could be mature. Seemed like a funny sign to put on a game.

"You're welcome to try," he offered, and swept the curtain aside. "Here, I'll show you the controls and- sweet mother of pearl!"

"What is it?" Tidus asked form outside.

"It's over nine-thousand!"

"What?" Sora asked in confusion. "Your score?"

"No!" He pointed to the screen at the top of the list. "That one! I'm the one right _under_ it."

He peeked inside and followed his finger, where the four-letter code read "Waka" with a score of seven thousand something-or-other, and looked to the name right above it with nine-thousand something or other. He blinked at it, and tilted his head as he looked at it in confusion. "Who's Kirx?"

"Keerx?" Tidus asked. "How's it spelled?"

"K-I-R-X."

"At least you can pronounce it."

Riku went over the letters again in his head, and when he did, his eyes slid over to Kiri. She was looking at the booth curiously, like a spectator at an unfolding event. No wait, that could not be right, they were saying before how she could not play very well. But before, he could have sworn he felt-

No, no, that was impossible. What had she done, used the power of darkness to help her win a _videogame_? It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard of. Was something wrong with his senses for a second? She shifted her gaze to him, saw he was looking at her, and they locked eyes a moment before they both looked back. Still, she did use an "x" for part of the name… he might have been paranoid, but that was a little too much of a coincidence.

"Whoever he is, he is going down! Sorry, Sora," Wakka said as he slid past Sora to put in his coins. "I have a title to uphold!"

"Um, sure, I'll just watch the first round," he offered, more than a little surprised at his sudden enthusiasm.

Tidus laughed. "You wouldn't know it, since he's usually a really good sport about polo games, but when it's against himself, he really takes a lot of pride in his work."

"I guess." Sora shook his head. "Didn't realize it was such a big deal."

"I don't care if he beat me," Wakka explained as he took the crossbow and the screen started up. "I care that I've never even seen this guy's name on the list until now, only to have it _above_ mine. He is not getting away with this. I'm knocking this _son of a-"_

"Wakka!" Selphie chastised. "Language! We're in public!"

"Well… go Wakka." Sora offered, and closed the curtain behind him as he stepped inside to watch.

About one minute in, Sora had to step outside. He seemed to lose a little color- no, he lost normal color, and gained a little green. The others who were outside saw his state, and became alarmed.

"Sora, are you all right?" Kairi asked.

"There's blood. Blood, everywhere…"

"Well, it's a _hunting_ game." Riku pointed out. "And the sign warned you."

"They're just graphics, Sora," Kairi tried to comfort. "It's not real."

"Kairi, they're animals from the _jungle_," he beseeched. "From the _Sahara_."

Kiri blinked at him, and tilted her head a little to the side.

Kairi's eyes widened. "Really?"

"He killed a warthog without a second thought." He breathed in horror. "The second the merecats popped out they were annihilated. Blood, and guts, were _everywhere_." His voice did not get louder, but slowly climbed in pitch. "There was even a tortoise in there, and then he wheeled around and shot down the birds. The Chipmunks. He killed the chipmunks!"

"What are chipmunks doing in the Sahara?" Mani whispered to Selphie.

"Not sure. Probably just threw them in there to throw people off."

Kiri scrutinized him to see if he was faking for sympathy, or if he was genuinely upset about everything. He must have been a really, _really_ avid animal lover. With a really, _really_ weak constitution. No wonder he was a vegetarian. Just what had he been _doing_ while he was gone? The more time she spent with him, the more she realized: He was confusing. No, not confusing, but a mystery. Sora was a very mysterious character.

"And then he came across the lion's pride." He looked like he was about to cry. "All the lionesses didn't stand a chance! They just fell down, one by one like ragdolls." He grabbed onto Kairi's shoulders desperately. "He, killed, the, _cubs_!"

Kiri stared, absolutely dumbfounded. But the more she looked at him, the more she could not help but think: he's for real.

Kairi looked to him sympathetically, and drew him into a hug to pat his shoulders. "There, there."

"It was awful. I saw my life flash before my eyes," he murmured. "It was a reel I couldn't stop. All of their smiling faces kept haunting me…"

"It's okay," Kairi cooed. "It's over."

Kiri's eyes went wide she blinked quickly, and covered her mouth to hold in her reaction.

"Hey," Riku said, and put his hand on the back of Sora's shoulders. "Let's wait outside until the others are done. Some fresh air might help."

"No, I'm fine, just need a few minutes."

"Don't push yourself. If it's bothering you this much, just take a minute to pull yourself together." he said.

"Right, we'll just be a few minutes," Kairi assured, and already started pulling him along.

"Air sounds good," he murmured, and let himself be led outside. He sighed softly. "Thanks, guys."

Kiri swiftly shuffled behind the booth. Riku saw the movement and looked in her direction. He shoved the curiosity to the back of his mind and went back to escorting the two out of the building.

"Is he gonna be all right?" Mani asked uncertainly.

"He'll be fine," Selphie assured. "Those two will help him out."

"Sheesh, that's the second time." Tidus shook his head. "I don't remember Sora being such a lightweight."

"Oh hush, leave him alone," Selphie admonished. "Is Wakka almost done?"

"Not sure. Hey Wakka, you gonna stay in there all day?"

"Yeah," Selphie called in. "I don't want to be in here forever."

After a few more minutes, Kiri shuffled back out from behind the booth. Soon after, Wakka came out from behind the curtain, obviously disgruntled.

"Man, it's harder to move up than I thought."

"So he still has top score?"

"Yeah, but not for long. I'll get back up there soon enough. Definitely coming by again soon."

"Is it that big of a deal?" Kiri asked innocently.

"It is to me. Hey, gives me an excuse to practice, at least."

"Right," she smiled, a little vaguely. "I'm sure if you practice enough, you'll be sure to get back up."

"Still, it's pretty cool he made it up there the first time," Tidus said. He pushed open the door for Mani, and everyone rejoined the other half of the group as they stepped outside. "We could give him a crossbow and make him a guardian."

"What?" Waka frowned. "No way, I'm the long distance attacker."

Sora looked up sharply. "Guardian?"

"Eh, it's a game we used to play as kids," Tidus elaborated. "We'd pretend Selphie was destined to be a summoner, and we'd be like guardians, fighting off the monsters and stuff. Then she started playing with the jump rope and had more fun fighting too, so we stopped. I'd use the sword, because I'm awesome, and swords are awesome."

"No way," Wakka rolled his eyes. "Swords are overrated. Blitzballs are deadly. Could you imagine if I could actually carry it around as a weapon on an adventure? That would be like, totally awesome, yeah? I was practically deadly with that thing."

Sora winced. "Don't remind me."

"I know, right? I'm so good, I wouldn't even lose it, it'd be like a yoyo. It'd come back and I'd just keep bowlin' 'em down, like: bam! I'd be unstoppable!"

"No, you wouldn't," Kiri said blearily, adding her own advice that made the only amount of sense. She yawned briefly. "The monsters could still attack back. You would need one that turned them to stone. _Then_ you'd be unstoppable."

Everyone looked at her, letting her know exactly just what they thought of that statement.

"Dude!" Wakka's jaw dropped. "It's genius. Man, I gotta find one of those."

"A blitzball that turned monsters into stone?" Tidus raised an eyebrow. "What kind of weapon is _that_?"

"Hey, don't be dissin' my weapons, man, it's an _awesome_ idea!" He turned back to Kiri, and grinned. "What kind of weapon would _you_ use?"

Everyone went silent and waited in curious anticipation of her answer. She yawned again and rocked her head from side to side as she wondered.

"I think I'd want… A dog launcher." She finally decided.

"A _dog_ launcher?"

Selphie sighed softly as she internally groaned. Kiri nodded somberly.

"I'd strap it to my arm and use it to fire a boerboel. Those things are vicious."

"What's that?" Kairi asked.

"It's a guard dog that's like, over a hundred pounds." Wakka laughed. "You could barely _lift_ that thing, let alone launch it."

"Oh yeah… maybe a baby one, then." Kiri decided.

"Then it wouldn't be vicious."

"You're right… oh that's right, dogs don't like me anymore anyway. Thinking of weapons is hard," she whined.

Wakka laughed. "Oh man, this girl is a riot. We should totally keep her, yeah?"

This time it was Sora who could not contain himself. "A 'riot'? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

Riku snorted, and turned away to hide his smile, but Sora looked at him in suspicion.

"What?" Sora asked defensively. "What's so funny?"

"You. I can't believe _you_ of all people want to complain about something 'ridiculous'."

Sora scowled in offense, though it only made Riku's smile widen. He missed the flicker of surprise over Selphie's face. Well, maybe she need not have worried. The others still seemed to like her. Kiri looked over to Riku, and smiled a little vaguely.

"So," Selphie said. "Who wants to go shopping?"

"Oh, I do," Kairi said quickly.

Everyone missed the sheer state of dread that came over Kiri's face.

Mani looked between Tidus and the others. "Is… that all right with you?"

"Well, if you want to, sure, why not?"

"All right." Kairi cheered. "Next stop, clothes!"

'No,' Kiri internally lamented. 'Anything, anything but shopping!'

Alas, she knew there was nothing she could do to delay the inevitable.


	6. The Plaza: Dowhill

Even when they entered the store, she bucked up and told herself not to be depressed. It was never good to be desperate for something like this. She could not quite bring a smile, but at least she did not appear as though she were about to take part in a funeral march.

"What are you interested in, Mani?" Tidus asked.

"Well…" she glanced over to one side of the wall. "I was actually thinking about a new pair of sandals. Mine are getting a little worn."

"Ooh, shoes are good," Selphie said. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Kairi joked, then stopped when she noticed someone not paying attention. "Wakka?"

He turned his eyes away from the mannequin he had been looking at. "I think it's about time I start looking for some new threads." He tugged on the edge of his shirt. "Gettin' a little tight 'round here."

"With how much you bench, I'm not surprised," Tidus teased.

"Hey, I'm still not nearly as bad as my brother."

"You have siblings?" Kiri could not help but ask.

"Just one, and he's older. But he moved out a while ago, so I grew up practically by myself."

"Does this mean we're splitting off?" Selphie asked.

"Eh, just for a bit. I'll meet up with ya guys later."

"I'll stay with Wakka," Kiri spoke up suddenly.

"With… Wakka?" Selphie said uncertainly.

"He's nice, and at least he still likes me." She said unperturbed. "At least I think he does." She looked up at him. "Do you?"

"Sure I do. I told you: you're a riot."

"That's good. Then I'll stick with you. Besides, he needs a girl's opinion if he's gonna go shopping."

Mani couldn't help but giggle. "I thought you said you didn't have a fashion sense."

"Maybe not for myself, but I'm at least better than a boy's."

"Hey!" Wakka protested.

"Yeah," Tidus said. "If there's one thing we know, it's _style_." he said, flicking the edge of his open shirt.

"Oh, _you_ want to talk about style," Selphie huffed. "Mister I'd-rather-walk-around-shirtless."

"I'm not shirtless, I just like the freedom."

"And let me guess:" she pointed down to his mismatched pantlegs, "One leg gets colder easier, right?"

This time he blushed as the others could not help but laugh, Mani included.

"Aw, don't tell me you're taking her side," he complained.

"Sorry," Mani giggled, but offered no words of comfort.

They split off, Riku and Sora staying with Wakka, because frankly, they did not feel like shopping with the girls today. Kiri silently cheered on Tidus for braving the waters of females at work. Mani held off her disappointment at separating from Kiri, but said nothing. Selphie took an uncertain look between Wakka and Kiri, but left them to their own devices and joined the others.

"So," Wakka said slowly, "you really think I need a second opinion?"

"I'm horrible at giving advice." She brushed off. "I just needed an excuse to avoid them."

Sora and Riku raised an eyebrow at each other. Really?

"I already went shopping recently. Four stores, three hours, for _one_ jacket. At least I got the gloves as a bonus," she mumbled as she held up her hand. "I just want to hold off for a while. I figured shopping with boys would be less of a hassle."

"I get where you're coming from." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "But I dunno, we tend to try on clothes a lot too."

"We do?" Sora asked in confusion.

Riku held back his exasperation. Then blinked when he spotted something on the display. "That kind of looks like your jacket."

Sora followed his line of sight. "Hey, you're right, except it's red. That one kind of looks like your vest..."

Kiri visibly deflated with disappointment. "Oh…" She murmured despondently. "Well, I guess that's okay. As long as I don't have to try on anything."

"Well, actually I might have you try something, just so I don't feel left out."

"No!" She jumped and stared at him in horror. "No, please, anything but that!"

Wakka smiled. "Aw, forget about it, I'm jus' teasing. We won't force you into anything."

It took a second for her to catch up, but when she did, she leered childishly. "I can't believe you." She huffed and promptly turned away from him. "Jerk."

Wakka laughed.

"Not like it'll kill you," Sora argued.

"I know that," Riku countered. "I just don't see the point if I'm not going to buy it."

Kiri and Wakka turned to watch Sora and Riku argue over two adjacent mannequins.

"Now what's got your feathers ruffled?" Wakka asked.

"I'm saying we might as well get in the spirit and try on a few things," Sora explained, and indicated Riku with his thumb. "But he's flat out refusing."

"Why bother? I already went shopping." He tugged on the outermost vest. "I just got these."

"Dude," Wakka shook his head in disappointment. "It's time to get out of your comfort zone, live a little on the edge. I've already gotten used to seeing you in them; that means it's time to change."

Riku stared. "What kind of reasoning is _that_?"

"C'mon guys," Wakka pleaded, "Ya gotta try on something. How else am I supposed to prove to her that us boys got style?"

Kiri blinked, before smiling innocently up at him. "I wasn't trying to imply anything."

"Sure you weren't."

"Well, you heard him," Sora said suddenly. "Now we gotta do it, our pride is on the lines. Besides I had to practically suffer to get my last outfit. The least you can do is have another day of shopping."

Kiri tilted her head from side to side. Maybe Sora had gone shopping a lot too, but the blue shirt and khaki capris seemed a little simple to go through so much effort. Whatever, she needed to stop wondering about him. He would give her a headache at this rate.

Oh brother. Riku sighed softly. "This is ridiculous."

"It's just for the day," Kiri tried to comfort. "Then you can leave this all behind you."

Riku had to hand it to her. She was really good at playing innocent. Almost admirably good, but it really frustrated him more than anything. If the others liked her, it would make it harder to keep her away from them. Sora spurred him on with a nudge of his elbow, and he figured that he could sacrifice the next few minutes for shopping. It was not like she was doing anything worth being suspicious of. So the boys set off on their epic quest of shopping, Kiri straying a bit to stay in the middle to keep an eye on everyone. When Sora noticed Riku looking at the tags, he pointed out the point was just to try it on. Riku told him he figured if he was going through the trouble, he might as well get something out of it.

"Did you bring enough munny?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, I-" then he got a good look at the tag. "And I thought my old pants were expensive."

"You were the one who wore designer clothes," Sora laughed.

"At least I had style, unlike _someone_ I know."

"Hey, don't you dare bring up my shoes again."

"They spoke for themselves. Seriously though, they expect people to carry this much with them?"

"There are cheaper ones in the back," Kiri suggested. It did not hurt to hurry them along, after all.

"I could get them for you," Sora offered. "You can pay me back later."

"I got a little extra too," Wakka piped up.

"No, its fine." He abandoned the shelf and went for a different rack.

Maybe she was not loud enough and they had not heard her. "Try the back. That's where they keep the cheaper stuff." she said, just a little louder.

"Eh, these big brand names are expensive," Wakka pointed out. "Ya gotta shell out money for the nice stuff."

"Believe me, I know. Still, I'd like to find something that doesn't take out a chunk from my wallet."

What was up with this? She was not whispering or anything. Were these three hard of hearing? Were they ignoring her? Were they going to force her into whole other day into pointless shopping because they could not take some very recently, and painfully acquired advice?

"Well, let's just keep looking," Sora shrugged. "Maybe you'll find something you like eventually."

Oh _no_ they won't, not if she had anything to say about it. Or do. She was too tired for this. She walked up to Riku, and tapped his shoulder. He looked down, more than surprised at her sudden proximity, but not showing it.

"How long are you?"

He stared at her. "What?"

"Your jean size."

Confused and guarded, but not seeing how there could be any malicious intent in her knowing his leg measurements, he complied. The moment he rattled off the centimeters, she promptly swerved around and went down the store, but staying on the wide path instead of cutting through the displays. The three looked at each other for her strange behavior, and went back to searching.

In the back, Kiri went up to a worker wearing the required blue shirt.

"Excuse me, but I need a little help."

It was as the three were moving through the clothes, that Riku decided the jeans were (for now) a lost cause, and started looking for tops instead. He picked up a vest that caught his eye, and looked at it thoughtfully. He kind of liked the look of this…

Wakka noticed the approaching girl first. "Oh, you're back… whatchou got there?"

The moment Riku looked up he had to hold his arms out for the unexpected load of jeans that the girl plopped into his hands.

"I don't know what kind of jeans you actually wanted," she said swiftly. "And some of the jean styles changed lengths, so there were a few I got of different sizes."

Riku looked down at them, and went to check the size, coincidentally seeing the price tags. "Where'd you find these?"

"In the back. They keep the cheaper stuff back there."

"Why didn't you just say so?" Sora asked. "We could have just gone there ourselves."

Kiri snapped her attention to him. She did not say anything, and her hands were still up from where she had let go of the load. The more she stared at him, the more her hands slowly curled, resembling claws that wanted nothing more than to grab his throat and attempt to shrink his esophagus in a slow and painful manner.

"I _did_." She clipped, and her nails twitched with each emphasis. "None of you _heard_ me. When I said it _twice_."

"Oh. Uh," he held up his hands, taking a step back nervously. "Sorry, didn't hear."

The claws twitched again. "I _know_."

"But hey, ya still went to get them, yeah?" Wakka said quickly. "I thought it was pretty sweet you still wanted to help out."

"Right," Riku agreed swiftly. "We'll pay closer attention next time."

She looked back in front, and her hands quickly relaxed. She blinked before she looked down.

"It's fine, don't mention it," she said quietly, and swerved around. "Are you done? We can go into the fitting rooms now."

She led the way, fast walking toward the fitting room as the boys followed at a more leisurely pace.

"How come she's nice to _you_?" Sora murmured. "I swear she's after my head."

'Because you hit her in the face with a ball and she probably wants to kill you for it,' Riku sarcastically thought, but instead said: "Maybe because I'm better looking."

"That's not a _reason_."

"Ya sure about that?" Wakka smirked down. "All the girls love those boys with a cute face, an' ya gotta admit, Riku's an awful pretty boy, yeah?"

Said pretty boy shot him an annoyed leer, and Sora grinned.

"That's true, I guess. Riku's got the looks, _I_ have the personality."

"Last I checked," Riku cut in evenly, "that wasn't the order of preference."

"Hey, go ahead and keep your _looks_," Sora scoffed. "I'll keep the personality, talent, and humor, everything that _keeps_ the girl after everything is said and done."

"Knock yourself out," Riku brushed off. "You need all the help you can get."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Sora huffed, and Wakka laughed.

Kiri had already stopped in front of the curtain up ahead. She pushed her fingers together slightly as she started to blush.

'He said I was sweet… no, wait, that was Wakka. He was still thankful though… and said he'd pay attention better next time. And I didn't get mad in front of him either, so maybe he just thought I was being helpful, so that's fine, right?' She twisted her foot and pushed her fingertips in a steeple. 'I wasn't being too forward or anything either. Maybe I can try to talk to him-'

"Kiry?"

She froze and glanced over to see Mani walking up to her in front of the fitting rooms.

She tilted her head. "Are you okay? Your face is red."

"Yes," she said softly, and dropped her hands. She forced on a quick smile. "I'm fine, really. So, did you find another pair of sandals?"

She had to try to think of something else if she would ever get the red in her face to die down.

The others finally came together again, while Kiry briefly explained the little 'competition' that had sprung from their conversation, while the three boys had gone into the changing rooms. They were not really 'rooms' so much as stalls fitted in the back, and covered by a yellow curtain on a rod. Sora was the first to jump out, putting his fists on his hips and striking his undoubtedly awesome pose. The outfit was black with red trimming, with a small short-sleeved hoodie to go over the black shirt. A much more dynamic ensemble than his usual wear.

"Now that's more like it!" Tidus grinned.

"You know, black and red is a good color for you." Selphie mused. "Funny, since I got used to seeing you in blue."

Mani twisted on her heels. "I kind of like the white in it."

"You definitely pass," Kairi gave him a thumbs up.

Sora punched the air with a "whoohoo!". He grinned at Kiri. "Take that."

Kiri leered. His time would come soon enough.

Wakka emerged next, with a tanktop that was a similar color of his last last one, but with blue lining along the neck. He had an added arm band and two leather gauntlets, and larger orange pants to match.

"Awesome," Tidus jabbed. "You finally match your hair!"

Wakka swung at him, but he dodged the strikes and laughed as he ran out of range.

"Okay, maybe not too much for Wakka." Kairi giggled.

"That's okay," Kiri comforted. "It takes time to get an eye for it."

Kairi's eyes widened when she turned back to the stall, and she grinned suddenly. "I think we have a winner!"

The others agreed when Riku finally stepped out in more than acceptable attire. It was a beige zip-up vest with yellow along the sides and black trim on the bottom and sleeves. The stiff collar was black and reached up to his jaw. The jeans were a lighter denim, and straight leg, the whole ensemble accentuating his form more clearly.

"Nice," Sora nodded in approval.

"But man," Tidus shook his head. "Trust me when I say ya gotta lose the arm warmer. It worked with the other outfit, but it's killing this look."

"He's right," Selphie realized. "You should go without it. Or find something better."

He looked down at the white band covering his wrist and arm. "Consider that for next time."

"There's not a lot of black," Kiri said suddenly.

Riku looked up. "Should there be?"

"Well, even before, you always wore some black." Kiri elaborated. "But now I hardly see any."

How did she know that? Riku probably should have asked, but was not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Those days are behind me," he said with finality. "I won't be wearing it much anymore."

"That's a shame. It looked good on you. Actually, I think you would look good in all black."

Most were amused, but they missed the wary look Sora and Kairi sent her, but the girl kept her tilting head and thoughtful eyes on Riku. She took a swaying step to him.

"Yeah. All black. You should have a long trailing black coat, with thick black pants, and big heavy boots. It would suit you perfectly."

"Yeah," Tidus muttered to Wakka behind his hand. "Then Mr. Moody can be even _more_ outgoing."

Selphie elbowed him, though he and Wakka grinned. Riku's eyes never left hers, even as his mind reeled. She was telling him something. That she knew? That she was watching? Kairi and Sora shared a glance, and bristled in his defense.

"No, it wouldn't," Sora insisted. "Riku isn't that dark. He's fine how he is."

"Right," Kairi agreed. "He shouldn't have to wear it if he doesn't want to."

"I don't think so." Kiri insisted softy. "He's missing something."

"Its fine, guys," Riku assured, but his eyes never left hers. "She's right. Black does suit me. I used to wear it all the time. Are you saying I should go back to it?"

She bobbed her head up and down. "You should. But Riku, be forewarned: you _must_ show off your gorgeously chiseled physique." Her hand rose clumsily, and pointed at him. "Whatever you do, you can't wear a shirt."

Dead. Silence.

Everyone gawked at her, Riku most of all since he was the subject of this bizarre revelation, and not entirely sure how to take the bold statement.

"I… _what_?" he finally said.

"Physique?" Tidus muttered in disbelief. "Who _says_ that?"

Wakka grimaced. "Chappu does."

"But you still need something for your chest," she conceded as though she had not heard, and lowered her hand, "So you won't be called for nudity… maybe a thick belt. A guard, with a strap. Wait, double crossing straps," she drew an X in the air over his body, and got a little more excited. "But black. Probably leather. But you have to look dangerous, so have metal plates on your shoulders, like armor. And your sword has to be really long," she stretched her arms out. "This long. No, longer- as long as your whole body!"

Riku's stunned eyes slowly turned dry as she ranted, not believing this was actually happening. Was she toying with him? Sora turned pensive as the description stirred something in his memory. Wait a second, he was sure he had seen something like that before. Long sword, long sword…

"But his hair has to be _loooong_, so it's pretty," her hands flowed down to demonstrate. "And fix his bangs!" she pointed to Riku's dry expression. "I can't even see his eyes right now!

Sora's face brightened as he remembered where he had seen such a person before. "How about wings?"

"Nooooooooooooo…" She whispered lowly, and looked to Sora hard through her bleary state. "Wings are dumb."

"Oh come on, think about it," Sora coaxed, and smiled smugly. "A big black one, just over his right shoulder, and two from his hips. He should be able to fly, right?"

Everyone stared at him dubiously for going along with this insanity, Riku most of all. From his _hips_? What sort of messed up design was that? Kiri went quiet as she considered this.

"Actually… that sounds good. So long as it's black. And you have to wear black too, Sora. But no coat." She leered at him. "And your sword can't be as long as his."

"Why does he get the longer sword?" Sora complained.

"Length doesn't matter."

"Does so!"

"Yours will be thick and wide. It'll still be plenty strong. Then it will be to skill to decide who's better."

"Hmm…" Sora considered this. "I _guess_ I can work with that."

"But you have to dye your hair back to blond when you fight him!"

"I was never blonde!"

"Lies!" she countered. "All lies! You have to get back to your roots! People liked you better as a blonde anyway!" She spun around and called to the heavens as she practically danced. "Awaken the truth within yourself! You have to keep going, fight for your heart until you're whole again, then look for your light and never let go; be strong in the darkness!"

The others watched as she carried on her romantic rant about light and searching. Sora glanced over to Riku, and grinned. The other boy stared dryly.

"Don't even try." Riku said as he turned to head back into the fitting stall. "You're not _nearly_ cool enough to be Cloud."

"Who?" Tidus asked.

"Oh, uh," Kairi smiled nervously. "Just someone Sora and Riku met while they were gone."

"Oh come on!" Sora scowled. "Sky, cloud, blue eyes, spiky hair- I'm already half way there!"

"Yeah, but you talk too much. Not to mention he doesn't have to do half the crazy stuff you do."

"You don't know that. I bet he has some pretty embarrassing stuff in his past too."

"Not likely," Riku waved off in sweet, blissful ignorance, and shut the curtain behind him. "You're just mad because she said I have the longer sword."

"It's not the size that matters," Sora called after him. "It's how you use it!"

"Kiri, watch out!"

Sora turned around in time to see Kiri run into a clothes rack, and everyone jumped when the thing almost fell over. She grabbed around quickly to steady it, and backed up.

"I'm sorry!" she practically begged. "I'm so sorry-" she squeaked when another one poked her in the back and jostled as well.

Selphie rushed over. "Are you okay, Kairi? Be careful!

"What!" Kiri jumped with a horrified expression. "Kairi's hurt?"

"Huh? Oh, no, sorry, I meant to say-"

"Did I hit you? I'm so sorry!" Kiri all but flew over to the other girl and immediately lifted her arms and inspected her all around. "Are you bleeding? Did you run into anything else? Did you hit anything vital? Where's the bump?" She turned suddenly and started yelling, making Kairi (and everyone else) jump in surprise. "Why hasn't someone brought that stupid potion yet! Don't tell me they forgot to restock!"

Sora dove between them, putting up his arms like a blockade. "Hey, if anyone's going to check for injuries on Kairi, it's _me_!" He looked behind him. "You're okay, right?"

Kairi held back the urge to smack him. "Of course I am, I didn't even get hurt!"

"You didn't?" Kiri blinked in confusion. "But Selphie said..."

"Kiri, she's fine." Selphie sighed. "I just said 'Kairi' by accident. I meant to ask if _you_ were okay."

"Ooooh..." she whispered. "Don't do that, Selphie, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

Riku, who had just been zipping up his black shirt, faltered when he heard the answer. Seriously? Just what game was she playing here?

"She gave _you_ one?" Tidus shook his head incredulously. "You're the one that made us all jump out of our skins."

"Wait, Kiri," Selphie approached her worriedly. "Are you that hurt? Do _you_ need a potion?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm perfectly fine," she assured, and smiled brightly. "Whatever gave you such a silly idea?"

"But, you were so worried about me before," Kairi said uncertainly. "Here, if you're hurt, I'll help you sit down-"

"No, no, I'm okay, really." She backed up. "Just surprised, I'll be okay. I'm made of tougher stuff."

Sora tilted his head slowly. "Okay…" he scratched his head. "Should we be worried or wary of her?"

Selphie put her hands on her hips, trying to figure how to fix this little… incident, and help the poor girl save face. But right now, she just could not figure out how this had gone so wrong.

"Kiri," Selphie sighed. "Did you get _any_ sleep last night?"

"Of course," she huffed. "I got _two_ whole hours."

"That's not something to brag about."

"Two hours?" Tidus stared. "How are you _functioning_?"

"I can function fine," she retorted. "Look:" She held out one hand, blinked at it for a moment, then carefully curled down her last two fingers and thumb, leaving up a wobbly peace sign. She blinked at it another moment, then said triumphantly. "There, I'm holding up three fingers!"

Silence. Again.

"Um," Mani giggled, a little nervously. "Kiry, you're only holding up two fingers."

"No I'm not, I'm holding three." She pointed to them. "One, two, three… though the middle finger looks kind of funny…"

"She's so tired she can't even see straight," Kairi realized. "No wonder she was mixed up at the arcade. Poor thing."

"I am?"

Most people would have brought it closer to his or her face to see more clearly. She actually stretched her arm further and closed one eye. Apparently it was not enough to count the fingers. Then she held it up in front of the closest person's face besides Selphie, who happened to be Tidus.

"Count them."

"Why do you want _me_ to do it?"

"Cuz you're closer, and I need a second opinion, now count!"

"Um…" he took a confused finger, and gently tapped the top of hers. "One, two."

After another moment, she blinked, and brought her hand back to her face. "So I am. Curses, thought for sure I had it."

"Kiri," Selphie gasped in horror. "No cursing in public! We don't need you like Wakka too."

"I don't know what's more sad," Sora said, and looked like he was about to start laughing. "The fact that she actually tried that, or that she _still_ got it wrong."

Kairi actually giggled. "I'm not sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for her."

Riku walked back out of the stall, empty-handed and in his normal clothes. After that, screw buying anything.

"Honestly, I think it's worse that she did that just to try to prove you wrong, and ended up doing the opposite."

"I can still hear you," she complained as she leered back at him. Well, she was staring and it looked like a leer, but she was probably still trying to keep her eyes open.

"Really?" He looked back evenly. "And are you going to try to argue with us on it?"

"Nooo…. Fighting is bad," she asserted and spun around as she strolled between everyone. "Today is gonna be a happy day. A really happy day. I looked at myself in the mirror and said to myself: Kiri!" she pointed a finger as though giving a lecture. "Today you are going to be cheerful, and fearless, and _awesome_. That means no fighting. Cuz you need friends, and you're not gonna do it if you're shy. Or something like that. I'm pretty sure that's how it went."

"That's a nice little pep talk ya gave yourself," Wakka chuckled lightly. "I think ya did pretty well."

"You're definitely not shy," Tidus laughed.

"And you were really cheerful," Mani offered.

"That's good," she swayed a little on her feet. "That means I did good. I wasn't awesome yet, but at least I can still be happy. Hey, hey, Selphie," She turned around suddenly, and put her hands on Selphie's shoulders. "Did I do good?"

"Well," Selphie sighed a little. "You did really well… until you ran into the clothes rack and tried to count your fingers."

"I like you," Wakka offered. "Hey, I found someone who can brainstorm weapons with me."

"I think you're more entertaining than a movie," Tidus laughed.

Riku watched the small crowd, staying outside of the animated circle. Just a few hours in their company, and the others had already taken their own form of liking to her. Even Sora and Kairi had been won over. She was good enough to make it look easy. Not good.

"The movie!" Selphie jumped and looked at the clock. "We better get moving or we're gonna miss it."

"I wasn't kidding," Tidus said. "I'd rather watch her. At least she's free."

"But Tidus…" Kiri whined, "I don't _want_ to be entertainment. We're here for the _movie_. So let's _go_ already."

"Of course," Selphie took a hold of her arm. "Here, stay close to me so you don't run into anything else."

So reluctantly, everyone went to the movie. The film was mediocre, not living up to its hype. Kiri could not remember it anyway, since her eyelids kept nearly dropping though the film. In the middle of the film, Kiri had to get up, whispering that she wanted a refill.

"Oh, I have to use the bathroom anyway," Selphie whispered back. "I'll go with you."

They parted ways to go to their needed destinations, with Kiri going into the bathroom right after Selphie. Selphie waited outside for her, until she realized she had left her drink on the counter by the sinks. She went in to retrieve it, and then froze. She felt her heart sink at the sound of retching.

Kiri washed up in the sink, rinsing out her mouth as Selphie leaned against the tile wall, eyes downcast.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine."

"If you weren't feeling well, you could have said something."

"I told you: I'm all right. I'm not sick."

She left the room without looking up, and Selphie followed.

"But, if you're not sick, then why?"

"It must have been food poisoning. It was just a mishap. A onetime thing, okay? Please, don't tell Mom or Dad."

"But why? If you're sick they should help take care of you."

"I told you, I'm not sick," she finally snapped. "I know Mom recruited you, but you don't have to be so fussy!"

She jumped and looked at her in surprise. "Recruited?"

Kiri also drew to a stop, and looked at her evenly. "You really think I'm still that stupid? Of course I knew. Without Cherryll here it's only natural she'd want to get someone else to watch me. I knew that would be her condition for letting me go."

"Wait a second," her eyes widened as the dots finally connected. "Are you saying this has happened before? Does this _always_ happen to you?"

Kiri froze, looking into her eyes and seeing the genuine surprise, and mentally swore.

"Kiri!" Selphie gasped. "Why didn't you say something sooner? If you're sick you need to get to a doctor- why is this happening?"

"Look, forget it," she cut-in. "It's nothing serious, okay? Just something I have to work with."

"This _is_ serious! You can't even eat right, it's no wonder you're so skinny! You're going to starve before long!"

Kiri bristled and snapped. "That has nothing to do with this!"

"Kiri, it has everything to do with it!"

"Maybe I don't eat like other people, but it's not like I'm starving myself! Do I _look_ sick to you?"

"Well, no, but you _will_ if you keep this up."

"You should leave me alone and trust me when I say I'm fine!"

"You don't have to yell." She glowered, and raised her own voice in response. "You said you're fine but you just got up and lost your lunch!"

"I wouldn't have had to if I didn't have to put on a stupid show for you!"

"Is _that_ what that was? Well, I can't _really_ trust you, then, can I? Not when you try to trick your friends and go behind their backs! Kiri, people are worried about you!"

"They don't have to be, it's a waste of time! I'm just fine!"

"Don't get angry at me when I'm just trying to help!"

Within the theater, a few minutes had passed. At first no one thought anything of it. A few more minutes, and Kairi started getting suspicious, her heart nagging at her that something was wrong. She finally could not take it anymore, and left from her seat to find them. The moment she opened the door she spotted them right outside, close enough to carry their voices through the theater now that the soundproof door had been opened.

"If you don't like it, then mind your own business and bug off!"

Kairi froze as the two girls spotted her too late. They both stared back, caught in their actions. No one moved for another few seconds. And then Sora and Riku had appeared behind Kairi, a little alarmed and surprised.

"Hey," Sora started, "What's going on out here?"

They saw. They heard. They knew, everyone in the theater. And now Selphie would have to tell them the truth about everything. Kiri locked gazes with Riku. The moment she did, her eyes watered.

"I've changed my mind," she said as she turned swiftly around. "I think I _will_ go home."

No one bothered to stop her, not while her last sharp statement echoed through their heads. Selphie caved.

"Kiri, wait," Selphie called. "At least let me find someone to walk you."

"I'm just walking _home_, Selphie," she snapped back. "I don't need another babysitter!"

Selphie flinched and the four watched as she all but ran out of the theater, ignoring the stares of the employees as she passed.

"Selphie?" Kairi asked. "Are you okay?"

The girl looked at her, her eyes already brimming with tears.

"I can't believe her!" she yelled. "I've just been trying to help, and now she accuses me of going behind her back! Now everything is _ruined_!"

"Man, this bites," Sora whispered, and leaned back against the door. "Now I _really_ feel like I've seen her somewhere before. She sounded _so_ familiar."

Riku rolled his eyes skyward. If Sora was too stupid to figure it out, that was his own problem. He was not about to correct him. Tidus, Mani, and Wakka came to join them outside of the theater as Selphie dissolved into frustrated ranting. By an unspoken agreement, the others decided the day out was over. Outside, the sun was setting, turning the land and waters golden, and the sky was ablaze with color.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way," Kairi comforted the distraught Selphie on the ferry. "She didn't have a right to yell at you like that after all of your work."

"Hey," Tidus finally said to Mani. "Look, I'm sorry it turned out this way, you know."

"It's not your fault," she gave a small smile in reassurance. "It was a lot of fun, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." She looked across the rest of the ferry. "Thank you, everyone. I had a lot of fun meeting you."

"Our pleasure," Wakka said smoothly.

Sora grinned brightly. "It was nice to meet you too." He elbowed Riku. "Right?"

He glanced over. "Right, likewise," he said, before turning back out to his sightless gaze to the water.

"Don't mind him." Tidus murmured. "He's not a big talker. He likes you, really."

From what Riku could discern from Selphie's rambling, Kiri had apparently been sick in the bathroom, and thought Selphie was… watching her because of her parents? He was not sure how those correlated, but that was the general gist. The resulting argument seemed to him to be more of an accumulation of unfortunate timing and poor judgment, which resulted in Kiri letting out a glimpse of her true colors. This was not what he had in mind when he wanted to keep her away from the others, but it was an effective method nonetheless, and found himself relieved for it.

"At least we don't have to worry," he murmured.

Selphie perked up. "What was that?"

"About her." he elaborated tiredly. "She's gone now, over and done with. At least we won't have to put up with her anymore."

"What do you mean by 'put up with her'? Selphie frowned as she looked at him. "Just what was so bad about her? It's not like she was a nuisance."

"Oh really?" he raised a skeptical eyebrow at Selphie. "You want to try saying that, after everything you were just complaining about?"

Everyone looked right at him in shock, but his gaze did not move from the startled party.

"You were just saying she threw everything back in your face, and now you turn around and say that she's _not_ to blame? It's a waste of time." He counted off the traits, "She's too dense to figure out when to stop talking, she's too careless to pay attention to people, and she won't hesitate to scream at someone who's been looking out for her all day. We wouldn't even be going home right now if it wasn't for her. If you ask me, I say well done and good riddance."

"Riku!" Kairi hissed.

"Hey," Sora whispered. "Maybe now isn't the best time-"

"Now wait just a minute," Selphie glowered. "She was only trying to help, and just because she made a mistake doesn't mean she's _careless_. She was tired, that's all!"

"She knew she was going out today, but she didn't even bother with _sleeping_. That seems pretty careless to me. Next you're going to tell me that her _yelling_ at you was just a result of her being _insecure_."

"What is _with_ you? Why are you being so hard on her?"

"I'm just saying it how I see it. I'm sure the others agree with me, since no one else bothered defending her while you were insulting her."

"Riku, stop." Kairi said suddenly, and leered. "I think you've said enough."

Selphie winced at the harsh words, and looked across to the others beseechingly. "You don't… really think that about her, do you?"

"Whoa, hey, I'm not saying I do," Wakka held up his hands. "I just didn't want to say anything because I knew you were upset."

"I still thought she was pretty cool," Tidus shrugged. "I just felt bad because I was the one that invited her in the first place."

"Those're your excuses?" Riku asked. "Typical."

"Just what is your _problem_?" Selphie demanded. "Where do you get off on judging her? At least she _tried_ to be friendly to everyone, which is more than I can say for you!"

The ferry came to a stop, cutting off the engine. The others gaped at Riku expectantly, the words striking a cord no one wanted to admit to. He leisurely uncrossed his legs and stood.

"Uh," Sora looked up worriedly. "Riku?"

"Didn't realize this was a contest," Riku said to Selphie. "Let me know how my score measured up to hers next time."

The moment the gate opened, he walked off the ferry, ignoring the stares of everyone else.

"I'm, uh… going to have Riku walk me home," Sora said quickly before he loped after him.

No one else moved initially, until Selphie slumped.

"I can't believe I said that," She murmured.

"We all say things we don't mean in a fight," Kairi said. "Besides, you were just trying to defend her. I don't think he should have said all those things."

"He… might not have said them if I didn't start… do you think it was my fault?"

Kairi looked at her uncertain and fearful face, before smiling encouragingly. "I don't think this was really anyone's fault."

Tidus fidgeted as he saw the turns the event still seemed to be taking, and stood, holding out a hand to Mani.

"Um, right, I'll walk you home."

"Oh… right," Mani murmured, and took his help to stand. "Goodnight, everyone."

Everyone bid their farewells, leaving the ferry and separating soon after, expecting a long night and almost dreading the coming Monday.

"Hey, Riku, hold up," Sora fell into step beside him. "Back up a second, what's with you all of a sudden?"

"What's with _me_? Did you forget we were supposed to be watching her?"

"Of course not," Sora frowned. "But I thought we were supposed to be keeping this on the down low."

"We're not supposed to be telling the others _why_. That doesn't mean you have to get cozy with her."

"Riku, do you still have your blindfold on?" he retorted. "Because in case you forgot, she looked like she wanted to _kill_ me in the store. I was just having a little fun with her as payback. She wanted me to try _duck_, remember?"

Riku finally stopped, and sighed softly. "You're right. Sorry."

Placated, Sora relented, and smiled. "Look, I get if you're worried, but give me a little credit. I'm on your side. I just didn't think it would be a good idea to fight in front of the others like that."

"She's right."

His smile disappeared. "Who was?"

"Selphie. About me. I couldn't talk to anyone besides you and Kairi. I barely managed one sentence, and it was only to Wakka."

"We knew this wasn't going to be easy," Sora comforted. "You can try again later. We don't even know when the king will come to pick us up; it could be weeks from now."

"That's the problem. I want him to hurry up and get us. It's already been two weeks and it feels like an eternity. I can't stand being on here for much longer. It's too… bright."

"Okay… what do you mean by too 'bright'?"

"Just look at today. It's ridiculous. She could have done a lot worse than just yell, but not one person there wanted to defend her. Not until I stepped in. Even if she was in the wrong, I still managed to look like the bad guy if I tried to tell the truth about her. I don't know her motives, but the fact remains that despite her attempts, by herself, she still failed, just because of their own petty standards. I'm not defending her, and I'm not saying I trust her, but we're the only people who know just what she is, yet _they _were the ones treating her badly."

He finally stopped walking, and though it was sarcastic, Sora could easily catch the hurt from which the words came. "It's like everyone in this world will reject the darkness without even realizing it. If someone like her doesn't have a chance, then how do I?"

Sora's expression became sympathetic as he finally caught on to what his friend was saying, and how much it bothered him if he was breaking the rule. "Riku… you're not of the darkness anymore."

"Not completely, but the remnants are still there."

"That doesn't make you a bad person," he said firmly. "Your power doesn't dictate who you are."

"Yeah. You're right," he said, but it lacked true conviction. "This whole day has probably just put me on edge. You'd better go back to Kairi, otherwise she'll be mad at you too."

Sora winced at the reminder. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I just need some time alone right now. I'll be at the dock. Bring Kairi along if she still wants to talk to me."

Riku had started walking again, his eyes straight ahead in the sunset, and shoulders back, but his gait slow and laborious. Sora watched him go, before running in front of him, and clapping both hands on his shoulders. Riku blinked in surprise.

"Sora?"

"For what it's worth," he gave his signature toothy smile, "I think you did _great_ today. I had a blast playing."

Riku stared at the cheesy grin, before he finally relaxed, and his own lips quirked.

"Thanks. Now get lost already," he said affectionately, and batted his hands away. "You don't need _two_ angry girls coming after you."

"Ah, right. I'll try to smooth things over with Selphie too."

"Good luck," he said.

Sora waved before loping off. Riku continued on, a tiny smile still lighting his face.

Farther down the Island, closer to the ocean and vibrant sun, Kiri strolled across the sand. The wind kicked up near the shoreline and her skirt and hair fluttered. The girl kept her eyes to the smooth sand, following patterns of the different colored grains until her tears blurred the ground and she blinked again to keep them back.

She should never have agreed to this in the first place. She was not social anymore. She was not cheerful, or fearless, or awesome. She was quiet, shy, and pathetic. If she could have at least kept her mouth shut, then maybe they could have gone through the night on better footing. It was sort of funny. Kiri got the chance at a second first impression, like so many people would dream of, and she still blew it. But she was so close. So _close_ to making it through all day. And that's what made the sting of defeat that much more painful.

And the worst part about the whole ordeal: she did not even care.

She was not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. This was just supposed to be a one time thing anyway. She never expected to really get anything out of it.

All right, that was a lie. A tiny part of her had been hoping for success. Or at least, the chance to be o good terms. A lot of good that did.

At least Mani was easy to talk to, and very nice. Kiri really hoped the girl would at least get along better now. With a disaster like Kiri as a scapegoat, she would probably get along just fine.

She stopped. In front of her was the short pier. Her eyes automatically, suddenly, _traitorously_, went to the very tiny and very familiar island glowing ethereally in the golden sunlight on the sparkling ocean. She lost her battle with her tears. She reached up and touched her sternum, where a charm crinkled her shirt.

'Out of everything I regret most tonight, I wish I could have told Riku everything I wanted to say.'

But there was nothing she could do to change the past. 'Third time's the charm' did not apply here. She wished she had stayed behind to welcome them back, at the very least.

_We'll pay closer attention, next time._

She smiled a little wryly even as she rubbed her eyes and hiccupped. The statement was probably the closest thing she would ever get as a nice comment from him, even if it was just a passing phrase. It was already more than she could ask for. At least now she could tell Cherryll he had noticed her. She pulled out the black cord from under her collar so her charm saw light again. She clasped it and brought her fist to her lips. At least he noticed her, if only for a second.

Later, when the sun descended to permit the night, the last sliver of yellow rimmed the horizon, and a speckle of stars cautiously peered through the sky. Riku leaned on his hand and sat languidly on the shore of the tiny island. The sounds of the gulls and other birds had quieted as the creatures settled for sleep. The rustle of leaves, and swishing rhythm of the waves emphasized the tranquility, and Riku could feel the toll of stress and lack of sleep of the last several days. He was tempted to lie down and doze off, despite the colder night winds, but disregarded the notion when he heard footsteps.

"Is she angry?" He asked without turning.

"No, not anymore." Kairi answered. "But she's not really happy, either."

"…I guess I was harsher than I should have been. I'll have to try to find her Monday. What about you?"

"Honestly, I was more confused than anything. You surprised me."

"Yeah. I surprised me too." He looked over his shoulder. "Are we fine, then?"

She finally smiled. "Yeah, we're fine."

And even though his expression had been guarded, and slightly resigned, the subsequent relief and gratitude was clear in his expression, and her smile widened.

"But don't think this means I'll go easy on you if this happens again," she scolded playfully.

"Fair enough," he shrugged lightly.

Sora nodded in satisfaction. "Well, now that _that's_ over with, back to business."

Riku finally stood to join them. "I'm just glad the day is over."

"I'm guessing this means you still think she's dangerous?" Kairi said.

Sora shifted on his feet, and Riku crossed his arms.

"I don't know," Sora admitted. "She didn't seem like it at first, but she still looked like she wanted to kill me."

"It was a little disarming being near her at times," Riku confessed. "But she still smells like the darkness, that's a hard detail for me to ignore. I don't think she wants to come after us, though."

"I don't think so either," she said softly. "At first I thought for sure she was avoiding me, but at the store she… well, you saw her."

"That was weird," Sora admitted. "I mean, she did a total one eighty on us. Maybe she really _was_ out of it."

"Could be." Riku said lightly. "She was avoiding all of us, but she seemed most wary of Kairi. I'm not sure why. The only thing I can think of is because of your heart."

"You think so?" She put one hand over it instinctually. "But why?"

"Darkness can't touch you. She probably realizes that and wanted to avoid you."

"Until she turned mother hen on us," Kairi joked lightly. "Honestly, she was worse then Dad when they picked us up from the Island."

"Hey," Sora cut-in. "He brought us food, I'm not complaining. I was starving."

"No one's complaining," Riku sighed. "I guess that doesn't mean she wants to hurt you, for whatever reason. I figure she's doing the same thing we're doing: hiding the truth from the island. She doesn't want to be discovered."

"Then why come _here_?" Sora asked. "Why come where we all are?"

"Because she's always been here," Kairi said softly.

"You knew?" Riku asked.

"I thought so at first. With everything that's happened, I'm sure of it."

"Sure of what?" Sora asked. "Hey, what are you two talking about?"

"She's the same girl, Sora," Riku finally said in exasperation. "The one you were looking for yesterday."

"Wait, she is?" Sora looked at him uncertainly before his jaw dropped. "Oh, man!" He slapped his forehead. "No wonder, _now_ everything makes sense. Man, I feel like a dunce."

"Was it really that hard to figure out?" Kairi said.

"Look, cut me some slack- I got tricked by a mini-dragon and a girl wearing drag, I'm slow on the uptake."

Both Kairi and Riku gawked at him, though Kairi's was much more pronounced.

"Is there something you're not telling us?" She asked carefully.

"…Okay, that came out badly," Sora admitted. "But it's nothing to worry about, Riku can vouch for me."

"Why are you bringing me into this?" Riku asked. "I'm confused too."

"Why are you confused? You were there."

"As if. I'd remember something like that."

"But you were…" Sora grew thoughtful as he tried to remember back. "Oh that's right, you came after it happened. You never actually met them."

"Met who?"

"Er, you know, it's a long story, tell you later. But seriously, why did she do all of this?" he asked. "Why go through this whole thing of trying to be another person?"

Both Kairi and Riku looked at each other pointedly, knowing that they would let it drop for now, but would definitely be bringing this up later.

"Well, think about it," Kairi said carefully. "If you got a bad start with someone, like she had with you and Tidus, wouldn't you want the second chance for a first impression?"

He got quiet, and even Riku did not say anything in light of this. In that context, her motives seemed a little more harmless, but still neglected to explain her strange behavior at the Plaza.

"Yeah… guess I would." Sora said slowly. "After everything that's happened this year, it makes sense she'd want to try again."

"And she's been struggling for a while. She's just trying to remember how to make friends again," Kairi half-shrugged. "Maybe she went about it the wrong way, but I can't blame her for wanting to make a fresh start."

"Still wish she would have told me," Sora scuffed his shoe in the sand. "I would've gone easy on her. Heck, if she was really that eager, I could have helped her out a little more." he smiled jokingly. "I've gotten plenty of practice."

Riku watched in confusion at the sudden change in demeanor. He knew Sora felt bad about Thursday, but their conversation was not quite matching up.

"Hold on," He cut-in. "Just what are you two referring to?"

"About her amnesia, of course." Kairi said.

"Yeah." Sora shrugged. "I mean, it can't have been easy."

Riku frowned very slightly. "Amnesia? What amnesia?"

"Her's, obviously."

"When did she get _amnesia_?"

And then the two stared at his obviously confused and wary expression.

"Wait a second," Kairi said. "Sora, he goes to high school, rememeber? He probably never heard about it."

"Oh yeah. I forgot." Sora smiled sheepishly then turned to the other. "She got it last year, when we were gone."

And Riku gaped, watching him with disbelief. "Last _year_? You're saying she's been here the whole _time_?"

"Yeah, that's what we just said," Sora said.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he grumbled.

"But, you knew Selphie was her tutor." Kairi said.

"Only for a few weeks. She could have arrived just before then. I had no way of knowing." He said in exasperation and started pacing "I should have paid closer attention. If I had come back at night, I might have sensed her sooner and avoided this whole mess."

Sora frowned a bit in confusion. "But, we did come back at night. It's not like it would have changed anything."

"Not _then_, I mean before, when I had checked up on the Island. I always came during the day. It never occurred to me to… wait a second." He stopped. "I _did_ sense her before. I thought I had imagined it, but when we-" He stopped when he looked to them.

Because Kairi's expression reminded him why he had been keeping that a secret in the first place.

"You've come back before," Kairi said softly. "Over the year?"

Sora winced and looked uncertainly between the two.

Riku dropped his arms. "Only occasionally. To make sure this place was safe. The Organization had already discovered it. I wanted to make sure that no one came after Kairi."

"I see. That explains it." She smiled a little wryly, and sadly. "You know, there were times I thought I felt you. A little call in my heart saying I could see you if I returned to the Island. But I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. And even then, I had made a promise not to come back until I remembered Sora. I guess I was right all along."

"…I'm sorry." Riku finally said. "I didn't want you to see what had happened. Even then, it's not like I could stay."

"I know," Kairi shrugged jerkily. "You were just making sure I was all right. Even now, you're so on edge because you're worried about everyone, right? I'm just… a little mad at myself. All that time of worrying, and I could have known you were all right, even a little bit."

"If I had sensed you coming, I would have left anyway." He said, trying to appease her. "It wouldn't have done any good."

But the expression on her face told him that was not the best option. "…Not even for a few minutes? Left a little note?"

"…I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, I'm being silly." She said suddenly with a strained smile. "You were busy, of course. You were doing what you could. I guess I just got caught up feeling sorry for myself. I know we should be focusing, just… give me a minute."

She walked slowly away, and the boys watched her apprehensively.

"Wow, uh," Sora strained a smile, "you're just having bad luck with the girls tonight, huh?"

But Riku's expression did not change at the weak joke. "This was a bad idea," he finally murmured. "I'll just take you guys home. It's been a long day for all of us."

Sora winced and looked at him uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I shouldn't have worried you two like this. I should have made sure of everything myself first, anyway."

"No, Riku, I'm glad you came to us." He smiled with attempted encouragement. "It means you're letting us in again, instead of working on your own."

"Maybe." He looked up at the sky, where he could see the stars shining ever brighter against the navy sky. "But somehow, I think this is ultimately between me, and her."

Sora's smile faltered, and he looked to Kairi, casting one last glance at Riku before coming over to the girl and letting her know of the plan for return.

"She came back on her own?" The man asked.

"It was my fault," the woman sighed. "I didn't think to tell Selphie to bring her back too."

"At least, she didn't run off anywhere this time. That's a relief. I thought she was growing out of that phase until she disappeared two weeks ago."

"So did I. I guess we'll still have to be careful. We can't leave her alone so soon."

The lights were on, illuminating all the corners of Kiri's room. She huddled on her mattress and hugged her knees, watching the blackness of the window and listening with half an ear to the voices through her closed door.

"Oh come on," the boy complained. "Do we have to chaperone her forever?"

"You hush and be nice to your sister," her mother scolded. "She's getting much better now and I don't need you discouraging her."

"How did the day go?" Her father asked. "She didn't say anything when she came back."

"I don't know… maybe I'll ask her."

"She's probably asleep already." The boy snorted. "That's all she ever does."

"You shut your mouth. She can rest as much as she needs."

"Doesn't make it any less true."

Kiri heard the approaching footsteps, and did not move from her position.

"Kiri? Sweetie? Did you eat dinner with your friends? Are you hungry?"

"No Mom," she said softly, "I already ate. I'm just tired. I'm going to bed now. Is that all right?"

"That's fine, sweetie. You can tell me all about your day in the morning."

She still did not move as her mother moved away from the door. She looked out the dark window sightlessly, feeling her eyelids drifting shut.

'No.'

She shook her head and stood quickly, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She quickly unbuttoned her blazer, and hung it over her chair. She knew she would pay later for pushing herself like this, but she had to stay alert and be prepared for anything.

'I can't. Not yet. Not here.'

She did the same for her button-down blouse, but kept on the gray tank top. Off came the gloves. She fumbled with the zipper for her skirt, and pulled it up to avoid fumbling with her boots. She tossed it onto the chair as well, and ran a hand quickly through her hair to loosen the tiny curl holding her bangs and at the nape of her neck.

'He'll be coming for me soon.'

She flicked back her hair to let her bangs fall back to the side of her face, showing the faint purple ring over her brow. The loosened style made one side shorter than the other, creating a slanted frame for her jawline.

'I need to get away from my family as quickly as possible. I don't know how much he would actually involve them.'

She reached between her mattress and bed frame to pull out a thick beige sweater tucked away. When she slipped it on, it draped on her thin frame so much it resembled a tunic. The hem reached just above her knees, and the sleeves reached her fingertips.

'Besides, I'm tired of waiting for him.'

She reached under the hem to check the garter-like band strapping the dagger against her thigh. Looked like he had not attacked during the day after all.

'I'll need the rest of my equipment.'

Forget caution. She was more than ready to beat this guy off once and for all. She crossed to her door and reached for the switch. She paused. After a moment of mental battle, Kiri pulled the cord from under her sweater to let the charm rest on her sternum, and she grabbed a hold of it and squeezed for reassurance.

"I can do this," she whispered. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this..."

'I won't let him destroy what I have.'

She flipped off the switch, finally permitting the darkness. The moment the light vanished, the grip on her charm tightened and she steeled her resolve.

"Time to move."

She stalked across her room and swung open the single pane next to her desk. She climbed over the sill, and leaped out the window into the night.

'Watch out, Sora. This ends tonight.'

* * *

><p>Okay, there's our Saturday. So much fun in the disaster zone, isn't it? Next chapter will be the mystery reveal you've all been waiting for, so I hope it will meet your audience expectations. I promise everything will come together soon enough.<p>

Now, can anyone guess what Sora was referring to before about the dragon and girl in drag? Again, extra kudos again to anyone who remembers. If you can guess it, I'll... give a special mention in the next chapter.


	7. The Confession

'How did he find me?'

Kiri dashed through the lots, too early for her liking, but too wired to have any other choice. At least no one would be able to see her face clearly. She ran between houses, cutting through the paths and backyards.

It did not make sense. She had not made contact with him before, had not given him a reason to be suspicious. And she was certain she was never followed. She should have been suspicious of him the moment he returned and she felt his signature. Her sense had never failed her before. Even now he was nowhere nearby, she was sure. None of them were.

Lights were on, weave right, left- veer, that yard had a dog; duck under that window this time, don't slow down yet, she could hear people that way, move to the side, out of sight- there was the mayor's house, Kairi's house. At least she had managed to avoid Kairi most of the day, even when she seemed determined to get near her.

_Heart, if you get involved, you'll never have a chance to reach him_.

'This was what you meant, wasn't it? You knew it was him, and you tried to warn me. Sora must have told them both, and made them both suspicious. That must have been why Riku was so guarded around me. He was already wary of me. I never had a chance from the beginning.' A gaggle of laughter made her halt in running and slam her back against the wall of a nearby house . 'I can't think about that now. It's too late. I heard the warning, and I chose to do this anyway. I don't regret it. I just wish I had known what it would actually cost.'

She kept her ear out, and found that at least four people were the source of the noise. From the sounds of the footfalls, two were top heavy, and two were a tad shorter. They were teenagers. Wait, teens… Today was Saturday.

'Idiot.' She sighed softly. 'You don't have to hide.'

It was not a weeknight where she could attract suspicion, like usual. She was more suspicious by running like this, and had probably already drawn attention to herself. With this in mind, she tiptoed around the house and tried to maintain an air of normalcy. Though her pace was still quick. She made a story in her head that she was just in a hurry to meet her friends. That was what she was doing anyway. Kind of.

Kiri only relaxed when she reached the crest of the mountain path. The black silhouettes of the factories beckoned her with their promise of solitude and secrecy. Even if he came now, at least she was out of sight. Whatever it was he wanted, he at least wanted to keep this hidden like she did, if his behavior at school was any indication. She needed to calm down, stop the thrill of dread and excitement that filled her. Kiri fingered the hem of her long sweater. Could she really do this?

Her finger tips brushed the strapped dagger on her thigh. Of course she could. She did not care how strong he was, he was not scaring her into anything. She had worked too hard and too long to do this. She was going to get her equipment, get in a warm-up, and take him head on, like she planned in the beginning.

That thought, and the fear that he might be closer than she would have liked, sent her running again.

The moon was high in the sky. On the other side of the mountain, far from the sleeping residents, the bash of metal against wood echoed on the rock of the jagged coast. This side of the Island had dirt and rocks instead of sand, and as a result more arborous plant life grew here. A short cliff dropped into a stretch of dirt with trees reaching only a little higher than the ledge. At the end of the stretch of trees was an obviously man-made clearing. In the center was a training pillar. At the edge of the trees was a wooden high-bar.

_I didn't come here to fight._

Kiri slammed two metal tonfas back and forth against a giant wood pillar, and she circled around the pillar fast and furious with the weapons in her hands. They were a little wider than standard issue, and had a sharp blade at the long end of the rod.

_I didn't come here to fight._

She was holding the perpendicular handles so that the short end of the batons were forward, and bashed the pillar with hook-like strikes, leaving deep gashes where the blade dragged across the surface.

_I didn't come here to fight._

'Then what did you come for?' She seethed. 'Why are you coming after us?'

There was the signature.

He was coming.

_I won't stop until I find out just what you're doing here._

'Good,' she thought, 'Let him come.'

But she had to finish warming up first. If he wanted to fight, she was more than happy to oblige. She was more than ready. She skid to a halt, and unleashed her fury on the dented and abused wood.

_You know to be careful!_

She steadily increased her strike speed, abruptly spun around and slammed the blade into the wood pillar with an elbow strike, effectively jamming it in the grain.

'You're in more danger then I am.'

She jumped forward and cart wheeled twice over her free hand toward a tree trunk. She planted her feet in the groove where trunk met high root.

_Your anger has about the ferocity of a kitten_.

She launched into the sky. She reached out and grabbed the high bar with her free hand. The momentum carried her high up and over the bar. She completed the circle and released to fly.

'You have no idea what I can do.'

While she turned into a back flip, she flicked her wrist to bring the knife end forward, pressed a button at the end of the grip with a split second's aim. Four knives fired from the barrel in a line from the bottom to top of the pillar. As she straightened, she kicked the top of the pillar, sending the wood tower toppling.

_Kiri, people are worried about you!_

The girl landed in tandem with her pillar. She remained there a moment more, before she stood and stared at the fallen pillar.

"Worry about _that_," she spat.

She walked around kicked the pillar over to get the knives lying on the floor. She systematically put them back into the barrel.

"It's about _time_ you got here," she barked out to the night. Each knife slid into place with a click. "I've gotten really _sick_ of waiting for you. Are you going to stand there all day, or actually fight this time? Because I can tell you right now:" she turned right where he was standing, and aimed her weapon, "you picked a _really_ bad night to mess with me."

The follower took a few decisive steps forward and jumped from the short cliff.

"Do you always pick a fight with everyone that comes near you?" He asked as he landed. "Or has this just been a bad week?"

Kiri's glare faltered at the voice. It was different then the other night. Calmer, and a lot like… No, no, it could not be… All doubts vanished when he stepped out of the shadows, and she saw the unmistakable white shimmer of his hair.

"Riku…" She breathed. She lowered her weapon, and shuffled back. "I-I'm so sorry! I thought you were Sora."

"Sora?"

She straightened, and looked at her weapon as she fisted the hem of her long sweater. "I mean, there's this guy that's been following me, and I thought it was him… wait, that's not really an excuse, I'm not usually like that, really, I've just been a little stressed lately, and just, um…" she peeked up at him. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." He did not look at her as he walked past her to the training equipment. "Funny you thought he was after you, since he was the one most worried about everything. Looks like he didn't need to. Not if you were able to still train like this."

Worried… the hit. He knew. How? They had barely met before, there was no way he could have connected the dots that fast. She was afraid to turn around and face him. "Did Selphie tell you? Or did Cherryll slip and tell Kairi?"

"Neither. Your scent gave you away. You reek of the darkness." He brought out the knife from his pocket, and glanced at the glinting blade. "Of course, even if you didn't, I would have figured it out anyway." He chucked the knife at her. She swung around and caught the handle. "You're the only one on the Island to block like that."

She seemed frozen in place as she stared at the handle, her mind processing the impossible.

"Then, it was you," she murmured. "The whole time. Not Sora…"

"Did you really think it was him?"

"He... seemed more likely," but even as she said it, she picked up the pieces. The behavior in the hallway, his guarded nature around her, his emotions… his _hand_. "I'm such an idiot. I mean, what were the chances it would be you?"

"Why _wouldn't_ it be me?"

"I… it… no reason." She let her hand and eyes drop. "How long have you been watching me?"

"I've only seen you twice. I could smell you on the other side of the Island, and made it hard to sleep. My investigation led me to you."

The flash of recognition at the knife changed into cautious curiosity. He mentioned that before. "You're saying you can… smell it? On me?"

"It cloaks you completely. Hardly anyone I know is as corrupted as you."

"I see… so that's how you found me."

Her downtrodden expression remained for another few moments as she battled with herself. This could be a good thing, right? Maybe he wasn't really looking for a fight. Maybe he was more like her. He was different too, but… what could she say?

"Maybe you can answer a few questions for me," he said. He made his way over to the pillar and grabbed the handle of the rod still imbedded in the wood. "Why bother training in a place like here with a weapon like this?" He had to put his foot on the pillar to hold it in place, and yanked. The knife broke out of its hold in the rod and remained in the pillar. Kiri jumped, and stared wide-eyed at the piece. He huffed in a mockery of a laugh. "I say you need your munny back. It's terribly made."

He peered over his shoulder when he received no answer. She curled in on herself, holding the sister weapon to her chest, and he wondered at the suddenly docile behavior. What happened to her eagerness to fight him off?

"Why are you doing all this?" he finally asked.

"That's… it's hard to explain."

"Try me."

"Have you ever had a dream? One that you knew was important, but couldn't remember? One that changed the way you looked at everyone, the way you felt, the things you wanted or what you felt like you needed to do?"

He turned around completely. "…No. I haven't."

"Well, that's what happened to me. About a year ago, now. I went to bed one night, and the next morning, I felt completely different. The funny thing is, even though I didn't even feel the same, I couldn't remember why. And since then, it became… this." She gestured to herself, to the equipment, everything. "I don't remember what happened, but I know I felt agitated when I woke up. Like where I am now is the wrong place. Not that I'm back home. I feel cramped. I can't stand being around people anymore. Not for long, anyway. I'm only calm when I've been fighting, or training at least. I feel better. Like maybe I'm more prepared for next time."

"Different." His brow furrowed very slightly as he brought the pieces together. "But not that you forgot anything. I thought the others were saying you had a case of amnesia."

She blinked, surprised at his observation. "I did. I mean, I didn't actually forget everything like people thought, just… different things. Wait, that's not right, um," she fidgeted, and laughed nervously. "This is embarrassing. I don't really know how to describe it."

"That power I just saw. You didn't have that before, did you?"

"No, actually. I didn't."

"And what you said before, about how it changed how you felt, and what you wanted to do… were you just talking about goals? Or did you mean the way you felt about things that used to be precious to you?"

"…Both. To be honest, I don't really feel enthusiasm. Not for things I used to."

"And people?"

"Um…" she curled in on herself. "Well, there's a few changes there too…" she hedged.

"I see. In other words, you don't feel any real emotional attachment to anyone or anything here anymore."

"Yes. Yes, that's it exactly," she smiled in relief. "I'm surprised. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain it."

"I think you've explained enough. You didn't lose your memories that night. You lost something else entirely." He looked at the weapon in his hand. "You weren't fully restored, like the others were."

She blinked, her smile turning slightly confused.

"You're wasting your time. Something like that won't be happening again." He abruptly tossed the weapon between them. She dropped her smile. "Thinking like that is asking for disaster. Stop it. Whether you like it or not, this is your home, where your friends and family are. Appreciate where you are now, or you'll heavily regret it." He locked eyes with her as he walked to close the distance. "I meant what I said before. If I find you out here again, I won't hesitate to use force. There won't _be_ a next time. I'll make sure of it."

He had brushed past her, but the look in his eyes was still ingrained into her mind, and her words tumbled out again before she could stop them. "I'm sorry."

"Then take my words to heart. If that's even possible for you."

"Not that." She turned around to face him, "I mean for the way I make you feel."

Now he had stopped. He tilted his head the same way she had seen him before, in the hallway after she had run into him, as though letting his ear catch the words.

"…You've said that before," he said slowly, as he finally realized what she was saying. "Every time you've come across me. Why?"

"You… whenever I see you, you seem… angry. You're angry, and scared. But at the root of everything, you're sad. But you don't look like that at anyone else. Just me. And I feel… bad. Guilty. So I want to redeem myself somehow. Make you at least a little happier to see me. I know why now, at least. I didn't mean to be so harsh before."

"You felt guilty? Before you even knew why?" The scoff in his voice was clear, but he still had not turned to look at her. "And why should you care how I feel? It would be easier to forget about me and go on your own way."

"Because I'm in love with you."

The waves crashed against the cliffs of the Island shore, and the insects filled the void as Riku mulled over the frank admission. Just like that? Like irrefutable fact? Because he was turned away, she could not see his face, or the change of expressions.

"You're… in love with me," he repeated slowly.

Kiri smiled a little wryly. "You don't have to say anything. I know it was sudden. I've just wanted to get that off my chest. I wasn't really brave enough to talk to you alone, earlier. I figure I might as well do it while I can."

"When did you start? The first time we met?"

She blinked, and frowned suddenly. "Well, yes," she admitted frankly, and tilted her head, sensing something wrong with his tone, but not knowing what. "I got a little crush and it just sort of grew."

"Is this supposed to be a ploy to move me?"

She flinched, and she looked at him wide-eyed. A rejection was one thing. An accusation of falsehood was something else entirely.

"_No_. Why would you think that? It's true."

"Really? I find that hard to believe, considering who's saying it." He turned around to face her, and there was something hard in his eyes. "So the threats were your way of showing you cared?"

She winced. "I didn't know it was you," she defended weakly. "I wouldn't have if I knew. You scared me, and I was just trying to defend myself. I thought you were coming after me."

"I _was_ coming after you," he said flatly.

She curled her shoulders and murmured. "Why is this so hard to believe?"

He tilted his chin down in a guarded fashion as he looked her square in the eye. "How can I trust something like that from someone that doesn't even have a heart?"

Her hand went over her chest, as though he had threatened the very object in question. How could he know, he wasn't even near enough to feel it. No, no, this is impossible. It was one thing to smell the darkness on her, it was another to see what was nestled in her breastbone.

"How can you say that?" she said hastily, "Of course I do, I wouldn't be able to live if I didn't have a heart."

"Really? Somehow you're not convincing me too well."

"Just because I don't have one like yours, doesn't mean I can't feel it," she shot back. "I know what I feel!"

"Do you really? Tell me, do you think I'm good looking?"

She gaped. "What?"

"Tall, strong, handsome, that's what you see in me, isn't it? A single pass in the hall, and suddenly you're head over heels for me. You see a pretty face and can trick yourself into thinking you feel something."

"Wait, no, that's not it. I mean, yeah, I liked the way you looked, but that's not _why_." She blinked quickly, her mind racing as her words tripped over themselves. "This is- I mean before, what I felt was-"

"You just told me you don't feel anything for anyone anymore."

"That's not true! I'm just… lost right now. I do feel something for you."

"Explain it to me. What is it you "feel" exactly?"

She hesitated. She could put it in words easily enough. But there was so much to explain, and… she had never expected to have to tell him. Not like this. Not with his disbelief practically attacking her. And then she had a horrible, terrifying thought: 'What's he going to say when he hears the truth?_'_

"I…" Just the thought was enough to catch her words in her throat. "I'm…"

"What were you hoping for, when you told me?"

Then she did something not entirely expected. She stepped back.

"Nothing," she murmured and shook her head. "I never wanted anything from you. I just wanted to tell you. I was going to leave you alone after that."

"How can anyone who's in love with someone say something like that?"

She dropped her eyes down to her feet. "I…don't know…" she finally murmured.

"Then don't insult me. I know better than to trust empty affections."

She could not answer, not initially. "I don't understand… How did… you _know_? I mean it's not like anyone suspected, I was always so careful not to let them too close."

"It wasn't that hard to guess, from what you told me. I know the signs well enough by now. Obviously, I can't believe you in light of that. If you had a real heart, you'd know that's not something you take lightly enough to just throw out there. You can't say you're in love with me when you don't even know who I am."

"You're right. I don't know you. Not anymore. But I know how a heart works." Her voice found strength again as she kept going. "You say my feelings are empty, but I'm not emotionless. I can feel when I'm happy, or sad, how do you explain that?"

"You're lying to yourself." He said simply. "You remember the times you _did_ have a heart. You act the way you remember, and you've tricked yourself into thinking you still have one. Or at least feel like you do. I've seen it happen before. You're not the first."

He was quiet as he watched her in the long minute it took for her to finally come to terms with the battle. It was a shift in expression, from doubt and uncertainty, sliding into a resigned acceptance.

"…Oh." When she finally found her voice again, it took on a distant quality, a little dazed. "That's right, I'm not. I guess it's true, then. I really _don't_ have one."

He was not sure what prompted him. Maybe it was the memory of another Nobody that had come to the same realization a while ago, or maybe it was seeing the sudden listlessness she portrayed, but he looked down, the sight of her defeated posture something that was hard to take.

"I'm sorry," he offered quietly.

"It's…" She shook her head slowly. "Fine. I can't really blame you… it's not like I really expected you to think the same of me, or anything," she whispered softly, with that same dazed quality to it.

She turned around to retrieve her equipment with the systematic routine of autopilot. She put them all back on the straps and held them almost awkwardly in her hands, making Riku think to himself that she really needed a bag to put everything in. Ah, that reminded him.

"By the way, stay away from our families."

She snapped out and looked at him. "What?"

"I know you were there that night we came back. I thought I was imagining the scent of darkness when they came to get us from the Island. I won't make the same mistake twice. If you want something, then come to me or Sora. But don't you dare get near Kairi."

"I…" She said in a small voice. "I was just trying to help…"

"_Help_? I could smell the _darkness_ on them. However you were 'helping' left them tainted until they reached us. So leave them alone, got it?"

Her mind went blank. He was telling her to stay away. Was this really how this was going? Was this really how it had to end? On such a terrible note?

"I know my scent probably startled you at first, but were you… was there at least a tiny part of you that was grateful to me? At least a little bit?"

Riku was quiet as he looked at her expectant face. She watched him breathlessly for his reaction, praying with every fiber of her being that she would find a hint of gratitude. Even if it was begrudging.

"Why would I be _grateful_ to have someone like you near them?"

"I… right…" she lowered her eyes, and her voice was no more than a whisper on the night. "Who would? I should go. Good-bye, Riku. Welcome back."

She did not wait for an answer before she went past him to head back. His eyes honed in on the training pillar and bar and smoothed ground.

"Does this mean you'll stop, then?"

She paused. "Are you going to tell anyone about me?"

"I couldn't even if I wanted to."

"Same here."

"People will get hurt. You're a danger to them right now. Does that bother you?"

She did not answer, and jumped up to grab the cliff. Once she hoisted herself over the ledge, he held out his hand as he looked at the pillar. A zing of bright energy engulfed his limb, before his weapon materialized. He stepped into his battle-stance and charged.

Kiri did not get far before she froze. Her body started to buzz in a way completely foreign to her, with a strange hum of energy resonating throughout her being. Her ears started ringing, just before she heard a series of crashes behind her. She remained rooted on the spot. It would have been easy to just turn around and see for herself what was happening, but despite that, she did not dare move. Either from a newfound fear, or the aftershock of what had just happened to her. The crashes went silent. She heard him walking up behind her, yet still did not move as Riku approached.

"I don't know what your game is, but I'm not interested in playing. Stop wasting my time."

She did not move as he walked past, and left her behind.


	8. Morning After

The phone ringing was not enough to wake up Kiri. She only awakened when her mother came into her room to hand her the phone. Even then, she stayed under the covers.

"Mnello?" She slurred automatically.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Cherryl chirped. "I'm pretty sure you were still sleeping, so welcome back to the living."

Kiri closed her eyes and sighed slowly through her nose. "Why?" she murmured, more to herself than anything. "Why do you even bother anymore?"

There were a few moments of silence. "Are you still playing opossum? I know your mom woke you up, so that's not going to work on me. Come on, Kiri. Give me a good morning, at least."

"Couldn't you have at least waited a few hours?" Kiri mumbled.

On the other side, there was an expectant silence. Cherryll finally sighed. "Still refusing to talk, huh? _You_ were supposed to call me last night and tell me how everything went. So, spill, how'd it go?"

Right. Of course. Kiri said nothing this time, staring sightlessly from her bed with the phone barely against her face.

"Kiri? … All right, fine, I won't prod. Unfortunately I had to put off some homework yesterday, so I probably won't be able to come over today. _But_ get ready to tell me everything on our way to school, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

Kiri was already drifting off even as Cherryl spoke. She did not think to move the phone away until the dial tone blared in her ear and she jumped back into the waking world. Hanging up, and dropping the phone onto the floor, she pulled the covers up over her face and hid away from the sunlight.

"So? How did it go?"

The pair walked side by side, with Cherryl all but skipping ahead. Kiri did not trudge, but she walked without the same bounce to her step. The morning overcast kept everything gray, but was still too bright for Kiri's taste. She kept her stare to the ground, watching her feet on the sidewalk with a pinched brow.

"Fine."

Cherryll frowned a moment. "You all right? You're walking a little slow."

Kiri made a small shrug. "Sorry. Dad had me eat breakfast."

"Oh, is that all? You worried me for a second," Cherryll smiled. "Don't worry, it'll pass. We'll slow the pace. So come on, don't change the subject. You promised a story, and I want to hear it. All I want is a summary. Now what happened Saturday?"

She went quiet, her mind recalling all of the events with a sort of surreal detachment.

"It went great," she mumbled. "We had lunch and we went to the arcade. Then we went shopping. Everyone seemed to have fun, and we went to the movies."

Cherryll was quiet as she pouted at the lack of details, but figured she should not have expected too much by now. She would just have to prod a little bit.

"So, you said you guys had lunch. What'd you have?"

"A sandwich. It was pretty good."

"Really?" Cherryll looked up at her worriedly. "Did you keep it down?"

"Well, we went to the arcade and went shopping right after." She smiled weakly. "No emergency bathroom trips."

"Ah, that's great to hear. Was the movie good?"

Kiri did not answer, but twisted the handle of her bag and looked away guiltily.

Cherryll's smile turned exasperated. "Did you sleep through it?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Its fine, its fine. Well, did you make a good first impression with everyone? That's what's important, you know."

Kiri weighed her options about what to tell. "Well… Mani and I kind of got along. Tidus seemed to like that I was there… I think Wakka seemed to like me."

"Good, good. And…?"

She knew what she wanted to hear, but that made it no less easy. She decided to cut to the chase. Not like Cherryll would be able to understand her position with Kairi and Sora anyway. The only problem was… how honest could she be?

"…Riku definitely noticed me."

"I knew it!" Cherryll jumped on her toes triumphantly. "What happened? What'd he say? Did you guys talk?"

"Briefly. But I didn't really make a good impression."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because…" The words caught in her throat for a moment, as she looked to Cherryll, but she looked back down quickly. "I kept staring at him. I think I scared him."

"Scared him? That's nonsense, it probably just made him nervous too, if anything. If you told him you kept staring because you thought he was cute, I don't think he'd mind as much."

Again, quiet. No flustered denial, or anything of the usual. Though there was a point she looked shiftily away and Cherryll frowned at the unusual reaction.

"Kiri?"

"…That wasn't why I was staring."

"It wasn't?"

"No… he has terrible posture."

Cherryll watched, half expecting her to add on. "Come again?"

And Kiri really, _really_ wished she could say that was a lie. "I didn't notice it so much in the hallway, but when I saw him at the ferry, I realized he was slouching a little." She sighed. "Every time I saw him, I wanted to tell him to straighten up."

Cherryll stared, and sidestepped to peer up under her. Kiri discreetly leaned away, keeping her eyes averted. Cherryll bore into her eyes a little more and narrowed her own in suspicion.

"Was that really what you _first_ noticed?"

Kiri twisted the handles of her bag. "Yes."

"How about how cute he looked?"

"I did!" She winced at Cherryl's suspicious gaze. "Erm, briefly."

"And through the whole day, you were thinking more about how his posture was, than how he actually looked?"

She curled her shoulders, and looked down. "…Maybe…?"

"You didn't actually…"

"No, I didn't. I was trying to stay on everyone's good side."

"At least that's not a problem." Cherryll sighed dramatically as she straightened back up. "Really, Kiri, you're so hopeless. Only you would be more concerned about your crush's back issues than how cute he looked."

"It was really bad!" Kiri defended. "If he keeps that up he'll get back pain by the time he's thirty." She raised her bag to her chest and twisted her handle. "I was worried."

"That's not what you want to think of on the first date."

"It wasn't a date."

"I know, I know, but it was the first time you two were together, so it counts. But really, next time, try to pay attention to a strange thing like that."

Kiri sighed softly through her nose, before gathering her courage and saying: "I think he noticed me more anyway, though. Thanks for the blazer."

"You're welcome!" She smiled. "You at least had fun, right?"

"Yeah. It was a blast."

"That's great!" Her exuberance was infectious, and would have easily cheered anyone else. Making Kiri feel that much worse. "I'm really glad you had fun. When are you guys going to hang out again?"

Kiri suddenly realized the problem. School meant Selphie and Kairi and Cherryll all being in the same class. School meant gossip, and story exchanges. School meant Cherryll finally learning the truth.

She just did not want her to know the truth now.

"I don't know," she finally said. "The others had not really made plans yet."

"Ah, yeah, I guess it's still early. Well, let me know, okay? If you guys do hang out again, I'd love to come along."

"Yeah. I'll let you know."

Cherryll talked for the duration of their walk. Kiri knew all she had to do was speak up to tell her what happened, but every time she thought about it, the energy to do so just seemed to leave her.

"Hey there, Kiry. Nice morning, yeah?"

Tidus, Wakka and Selphie were chatting by the stairs. Selphie sensed them first, and looked up. Kiri stopped as she looked at them like a deer caught in the headlights. Selphie watched her a moment, before her guilt over took her and she retreated into the school.

"Hello, everyone," Cherryll waved. "It's a _great_ morning."

Well, at least now she would know, Kiri thought. "Yeah. It's great. I'm going to class."

She walked past them without another word, not even looking up at their confused expressions.

"You're not even going to give a hello?" Wakka said.

Kiri paused as she peered up at him, but suddenly did not trust her voice. Then she darted up the stairs, leaving Cherryll to apologize to the boys about her exaggerated skittish behavior.

In the hall, Riku and Sora had both gone to pick up their packets with Kairi as a tag along. When Selphie walked by, Kairi bit her lip, Sora watched everyone warily, and Riku decided to risk the consequences and take the early plunge.

"Morning, Selphie."

She looked up at him. She seemed conflicted for a moment, before she scowled and turned promptly around to march to her classroom.

Sora winced. "Guess she's still mad."

"Give her a little time," Kairi said. "She'll come around."

"Right," Riku said half-heartedly, but he stopped the moment _she_ followed in through the door.

She spotted them instantly as well, and there was a heavy, awkward silence. She seemed frozen under their gazes.

"Good morning, Kiri," Kairi finally said.

"…Morning." Her eyes darted between them for a second. "It looks like a nice day, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, um, it's warm," Sora agreed awkwardly. "It'll definitely get sunny later."

Kiri watched them another moment. "I want to talk to Selphie."

"Oh, well, she just went that way," she pointed in the direction. "You can still catch her."

"…Can I?"

Kairi was a little confused at the request at first. "Oh, well, she might be in a bit of a bad mood, but I'm sure she wants to talk too."

"Oh." She twisted her shoe into the floor as she fiddled with her bag handles. "That so?"

Sora, unable to take her almost pitiable state anymore, shrugged a little helplessly and smiled. "Come on, what're you asking us for? Go and talk to her."

She did not run off right away, but peeked up at Riku, the question in her eyes obvious and he looked back, debating how to handle this without giving himself away.

"…You might as well give it a shot," he finally said.

She nodded once, almost imperceptibly, and darted around them to get to her class.

"Man," Sora scratched the back of his head. "She acts totally different at school."

"I'll say." Kairi agreed. "She's a lot shyer. On Saturday she probably would've just waltzed up to her no matter."

Riku said nothing. She really had the innocent girl act down pat. If he did not have his senses, he never would have guessed it was the same girl he had seen at the shore. He looked after her, both relieved at the fact that she was taking his warning seriously, and trying to figure out how to tell the other two what had transpired.

"Morning, Kairi. Hello again, Selphie." Cherryll waved as the students settled into their desks.

Both girls glanced at each other awkwardly from their seats, before returning the wave.

"I'm glad I found you before the bell rang," she continued and plopped down in her chair. "I've been dying to know what happened and Kiri won't give me any details. Honestly, she's so vague. She needs to be a little chattier sometimes. Anyway, how'd it go with Tidus and Mani?"

"It went great actually." Kairi smiled a bit. "Mani and Kiri actually got along really well. We all had a really good time."

"That's good. Wait, did they…" She leaned in and whispered. "Did the boys figure out it was her?"

"No. Actually, Tidus and Wakka both really liked her." Kairi hesitated before smiling nervously. "And Sora definitely didn't figure it out."

"Well, that's good. She wouldn't even say hi to them before, so I was worried. But I guess everything went great."

Both girls stole guilty glances to each other, just as the bell rang. The teacher announced the beginning of class, and the students settled into their seats. Even the moment he began, Kairi's mind was wandering.

It was times like last night that made Kairi wish she had a better control on her emotions. She had gotten better since she was younger. Last year, which felt like eons ago sometimes, she had trouble adjusting. The people around her called it a "phase", and she had started calling it the same. Times when she would stop playing on the shore and stare out at the Island. Or times she would start crying for no reason. Or at least, no reason she could explain.

But still, she had outgrown it. Kairi had come to deal with the ache she felt from missing Riku, and the heartbreaking grief of the boy she remembered but no one else did. Occasionally, she still felt the echo of that grief. She felt it the night the king's note had arrived, but even before she remembered Sora, she had adjusted to the change, had become stronger, and matured because of it. She had already started healing. But Kiri…

Kairi felt a little sorry for her. The poor girl had been struggling too. While Kairi forgot just one person, she had forgotten _everything_. She could not even imagine what something like that was like, having to literally relearn everything just to get through the day. And according to Selphie and Cherryll, she was still struggling to catch up.

But according to Sora and Riku, she was a being of darkness that needed to be watched. It was not that Kairi did not believe them. It was just hard to see her as anything besides human. If she had managed to keep herself in check, maybe they could have sought out the mystery girl to see for themselves. As it was, she could only take Riku's word for it and be cautious of a shy girl who apparently snuck out in the dead of night and threw knives from inside a metal factory.

Then Kairi's train of thought stopped when she recognized the floral curl of Destiny's Embrace sketched on her notebook. Not even in the corner, like usual, but right smack dab in the middle of her paper.

'Not again!' Kairi hastily erased the doodle. 'Why do I keep doing that lately?'

She wiped away the eraser dust and forced herself to focus and catch up on the lecture. When the bell rang to signal break, she asked Selphie if it would be all right to borrow her notes. She jotted down the parts she missed as Selphie turned to Cherryll.

"Hey Cheryll," Selphie murmured. "Would it be all right if I asked you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Has Kiri been sick recently?"

Kairi paused in her note taking. She had completely forgotten about that part without even realizing it. She went back to copying, keeping an ear on the conversation.

"Sick?"

"Well, that is… she seemed to be a little strained on Saturday. I was wondering if maybe she was actually down with something and didn't want anyone to worry."

"Oh no, she's okay. Wait, was this after lunch?"

"Well, lunch was the first thing we did, so yes."

"I see. She was probably hurting trying to keep it down."

"Hurting?" Selphie asked in alarm.

Cherryll winced and shushed her, before lowering her voice even more. "Ah, me and my big mouth. Look, don't tell anyone, it's just… ever since this whole thing started, she had a real problem with eating. When she first went blank, she didn't eat for almost a whole month."

"That long?"

"Yeah." Cherryll sighed. "We had a whole lot of problems at first. She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't sleep, she ran from the mirrors and was even afraid of her own shadow."

Kairi paused again. It was like Cherryll was talking about her. When the Islands were swallowed and her heart had separated from her body, she had gone into something like a catatonic state. Donald and Goofy had helped her when she first awakened, and the adrenaline rush helped kick start her for escape, but when it wore off, the effects caught up. She felt sore and stiff, nightmares plagued her, every flickering shadow made her jump, and even trying to eat a whole meal was an issue. Though she never had a problem with mirrors. Thankfully, her time in Traverse Town had helped get her back on her feet before she came home, so there were no awkward explanations she needed with family and friends. She went back to copying and focused back on the conversation.

"… run to the bathroom right after meals. But as long as it's a little bit, she does all right. She still hasn't gained any weight since the year started. It's had us all worried. Ah, but don't tell her I told you, and don't ask her about it. She's sensitive about it, and I don't want to push her."

Selphie winced. "Oh…"

"Selphie, tell me the truth… did she run to the bathroom right after lunch?"

She shifted and crossed her ankles. "No. She didn't go until the movies."

"When was that?"

"Well, the movie started at five, though she went like halfway through…"

"Actually, it was almost over." Kairi whispered. "And we ate lunch at about noon. She didn't get any popcorn though."

"Really?" Cherryll smiled in relief. "She was fine, then. Thank goodness, I was almost doubting her word for a minute there. But she's pretty honest, so I shouldn't be worried."

Selphie bit her lip and looked down at her desk. Kairi watched the board, her mouth slightly parted in an "o" as she belatedly made the connection. Maybe… six hours? Seven? She worried her chin with her fist as she contemplated this. Was it normal to feel sick for that long? Or maybe it was the drink. The more she heard, the more she worried. Because the more she heard, the more she realized: Kiri could not have slept like the rest of the inhabitants. She must have been awake, the time the island was lost. She must have been sent somewhere, the same way Sora had gotten to Traverse Town, and Riku had gone to the remains of Hollow Bastion, and her body had ended up in the Realm of Darkness. The only question was… where had _she_ ended up?

'Kiri… just what happened to you?"

She tried not to think too hard on it. After all, she had no way to ask. The thought managed to stay out of her head until lunch time. Everyone had settled under their designated tree and Kiri had approached them hesitantly, though paused at the outskirts as she gathered her courage. No one had even noticed her presence until she spoke.

"Hi Selphie. Do you mind if we talk?"

Selphie looked up to see Kiri looking down as she twisted the handle of her bag.

"No," she said softly. "Go ahead."

Everyone in the circle watched the exchange intently. Kiri wilted under their gazes.

"…Alone?" she asked in a small voice.

They promptly turned away. But no one got up to leave. Kiri held back her annoyance. Well, she guessed this was the closest she was going to get. The others were respectfully quiet as she sat down, extending her legs like last time and sitting straight in a way that seemed to put her at odds with the relaxed atmosphere.

"I'm sorry, Tidus," Kiri started out softly. "For the cold shoulder this morning. I guess I could have at least said hello."

"Hey," he waved it off, "no problem, we're all a little thrown off today."

"Can you tell Wakka I'm sorry, too?"

"Sure thing. I'm sure he understands anyway."

"Thanks." She looked at Selphie. "And… sorry for not trying to talk to you earlier."

"No, it's okay. I don't blame you for wanting to avoid me. Not after how I acted. I'm sorry. I just got so excited for everything, since this is the first time everyone's been together for a while. And I really wanted you to be happy too, but, I guess I just kept thinking as your 'tutor,' and I was focusing on you getting better, not just you having fun. That's not right. We're the same year. We should be classmates, first and foremost."

"I know you were excited. To be honest, after I got hit, I was afraid I had ruined your plans, and I felt awful. But, I started thinking that I had to prove myself to you like everyone else and I ended up making everything worse." She gave a watery smile. "Funny, right?"

"Yeah," and she matched the watery smile. "I guess we were both a little mixed up. Let's not do that again, okay?"

"Okay. I wouldn't want to lose my favorite tutor, after all. I still have to do my work."

"Tutoring?" Tidus blinked. "I thought she had that other girl."

Then Kiri stared as she realized that Selphie had not told him anything. Strange, she thought for sure she had. She sighed softly, and smiled a little sadly as she braced herself.

"Tidus, I _am_ that other girl," she said, and lifted her bangs.

"_Huh_?" His jaw dropped. "_You're_ the one that went by the park? Why didn't you say anything? Wait, Sora, it's the same girl!"

"Oh, uh," Sora glanced away, "Wow, look at that, totally never saw that coming," he chuckled nervously.

"You knew."

"Er, I only figured it out later."

"After we told him," Kairi added.

"Am I the only one who didn't know?" Tidus demanded.

Everyone looked at each other guiltily. Kiri pushed her hands together and spread her fingers.

"Um, did Wakka know?"

"Uh, no," Selphie answered.

"Well, there you go," Kiri smiled. "He didn't know either. I'm sorry. I thought you knew already. That's why I was avoiding you. I lost my temper last time, and I wanted to try to make friends again. But I kind of ended up doing the same thing anyway."

"You should've just told us. Man, you would've saved us a lot of trouble."

"Sorry. It's just that last time I…" Called you stupid.

"Huh? Last time you did what?"

Did he not remember? He did not seem angry… well heck, if he did not remember, she was not about to correct him.

"Nothing," she said innocently. "I just don't like yelling."

"That's why? Man..." He frowned and shifted. "That kinda bites. I thought you said you were a fan."

"I… did." She shrugged a bit. "Sorry. I meant what I said before about seeing your games, I still think you're really good. I just tried to appeal to you more."

"Well, I guess it kind of makes sense. I just don't like being left out like that. Don't leave me out of the loop next time, okay?"

"Uh," she blinked at the unexpected acceptance. "Sure."

"Great. Glad to see you're okay, at least."

"Oh." She blinked and tilted her head very slightly. "Thank you." She glanced behind the others, and tilted her head slightly. "Hi, there. Are you all right?"

The others turned around to see Mani watching them.

"Mani?" Tidus asked in surprise and jumped to his feet. "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I noticed Kiri coming back and wanted to say hello, but I didn't want to interrupt," she said quietly.

Kiri blinked, her head still slightly tilted, and the girl glanced at her once before looking away.

"Is something wrong?" Kiri asked.

"Oh, no, it's nothing. I just wanted to say that I was glad I got invited along. And to say hello."

"Yeah, uh," Tidus fidgeted. "Look, I'm sorry it didn't end so well and everything."

"You couldn't help it," Mani shrugged and smiled weakly. "Things happen."

"I know, I just felt bad that all this had to happen while you were there. I was really hoping you would have some fun."

"I did have fun, really," she assured, and smiled to everyone. "You're all very nice people, and I felt very safe."

"Safe?" Tidus asked in slight alarm.

"Er, wait, that came out wrong," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to say you guys might have been dangerous or anything. I just meant I felt very comfortable."

"Oh… were you that nervous?" Tidus asked a little worriedly.

"I understand," Kiry spoke up. "It's because I was there. She thought you were all part of my gang and thought she was going to get kidnapped."

"Kiri!" Selphie gasped, more in shock than actual chastising, and everyone gaped.

Except Mani, who giggled.

"Oh no, you're the one that made me feel the best," she grinned. "I just feel nervous in crowds."

"Tell me about it," Kiry smiled easily. "Lots of people at once can be pretty scary. Especially those you don't know. Plus, you were the youngest one there."

"Exactly," she breathed out in relief. "I was so worried I'd make a bad impression. Like maybe they'd think I was immature or something."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that. Like I said, you're cute, so people will like you anyway."

Mani's cheeks went pink. "Stop that, they would not."

"Sure they would. You could just lay on the charm. Besides, you're a quiet type; people will cut you some slack anyway."

Mani fidgeted. "I'm just a little shy."

"Shy is good. Shy plus cute equals adorable."

"Kiry!" Mani's face flushed even more and she buried her face in her hands. "You're making me blush again!"

Kairi giggled. "Kiri, stop teasing Mani, the poor girl has been through enough."

"It's not my fault," Kiry said innocently. "She makes it too easy."

"Likely excuse," Selphie sighed, "Miss Kiry with a "y"."

Kiri paused when she realized what she was doing, and smiled sheepishly. "Um, sorry. Anyway, this means you'd be willing to go with the others again, right?"

"Oh, of course I would," Mani smiled. "Being with everyone was a lot of fun."

"There you go." She smiled as she looked at everyone. "You can try again this Saturday, and leave off on a better note."

The group went quiet as they looked at her.

"But, we're not doing anything this Saturday," Tidus said.

"Really?" she asked in surprise. "Why not?"

"Well, we hadn't really planned on it."

"I thought you guys hung out every Saturday." Mani said in surprise.

"Not really," Kairi said.

"Yeah, that was the first time we had done something like that," Selphie explained.

"Oh. I see." She looked to the ground with a bit of disappointment. "That's kind of a shame. It was a lot of fun."

"Yeah," Sora sighed a little wistfully. "Even if things ended badly, it was a lot of fun before that."

"It was nice to have everyone together all day without worrying about school and stuff," Tidus admitted. "Kind of like when we were kids on the Island, before all the craziness."

"Right," Selphie rocked her head a little, like she used to do. "I wouldn't mind doing it again."

"Why can't you?"

Everyone stared at Kiri's genuinely curious expression.

"You all had fun that day, right?" She asked. "So what's keeping you from trying again?"

"Well, it… didn't end so well…"

"But if I don't go this time, it should be fine." And she smiled encouragingly. "Come on, you guys are all together again, you should get another chance to have fun."

"You wouldn't want to go? But you suggested it."

"Oh no, not for me," she laughed. "I'm a walking disaster, you saw me. People don't like me much anyway. You guys would be more comfortable without me there."

"Oh, Kiri, don't talk about yourself like that," Selphie whined. "It's not because of you, really."

"But, you said it ended badly." She tilted her head.

"I meant after you left," Selphie clarified, and faltered. "We… well, Riku and I kind of… got into a fight."

"Riku did?" She blinked. "What happened? What were you fighting about?"

"Well," Sora scratched the back of his head. "It's wasn't a fight exactly. He was talking about- hmph!"

Kairi leered at him, keeping her hands firmly over his mouth before smiling at Kiri. "Don't mind him, he hit his head after you left."

"HMPH!"

"Right," Selphie said quickly. "It was just a disagreement among friends. I can't even remember what we were fighting about."

Kiri watched Sora's disgruntled expression, everyone else's nervous and avoidant gaze, remembered Riku's previous behavior, and connected the dots.

'They were talking about me,' Kiri thought, with a surprised and sort of surreal detachment. 'Selphie was probably trying to defend me. And with the way he spoke to me… I can only imagine what he said behind my back.'

She took a moment to analyze this, noting that she still did not feel anything about the whole incident. Except, she figured she must have felt a little guilty. After all, they would not have been fighting if not for her.

Kiri put her hand to her chin. "That's a shame. He was so nervous Saturday."

"Nervous?" Selphie asked skeptically.

"Yeah. It was probably hard to tell, but he wouldn't really talk to anyone. I think it's because he didn't really know how. He's been gone for a while." She brought her hands into a steeple and stared sightlessly. "A lot of things can happen in a year. It can actually be a very long time, to some people. I can only imagine how nervous he must have been about the whole thing."

Everyone stared at the insight, though none could have compared to Sora's surprise. Selphie looked to Kairi and Sora.

"Is that true?" she asked in surprise. "Was he actually nervous the whole time?"

"Um…" Sora fidgeted. "Don't tell him I told you, but… he was kind of worried about how to talk to you guys. Ya know, since he got back he hasn't really been too cheerful, and he was afraid how you guys would feel around him. I had to persuade him into it."

"We both did," Kairi added.

"Oh…" Selphie blinked. "I wish I'd have known that. I could have tried to make him more comfortable too."

"Hey, you had enough to worry about." Sora said quickly. "Trust me it would have just made him feel worse."

"I guess. He just didn't seem like it."

"I can't blame you," Kiri said. "He was pretty quiet. Not like how he used to be."

"That's true. He was more talkative last year. I don't get it," she turned in confusion. "How could you tell, Kiri?"

"Let's just say I've learned how to read people pretty well. And I could tell he was worried. He probably just ended up taking out his frustrations on you guys, at the end of the day. But he didn't mean anything by it, trust me." She finally lifted her eyes and smiled encouragingly. "I think he just needs to know how to be around you again. Come on, it's_Riku_. You guys have always been his friends; he'll want to look out for you. No matter how much time passes, he's not going to forget you so easily. Give him another chance."

Everyone's enraptured expression turned instantly to alarm and concern. Too late she felt the tears streaming down her cheeks. She jumped, startled, and wiped at her face.

"Kiri?" Selphie asked suddenly. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, sorry, I…" she wiped at her eyes and chuckled. "They just kind of surprised me, I guess."

"You're not… hurt, are you?" Mani asked softly. "Do you need to go to the nurse?"

"No! No, no, I'm fine, just…" The tears would not stop, and her smile lost the battle. She curled her legs in as she sobbed, wiping at her face with her sleeves. "They just won't stop. I guess it finally sunk in."

"What sunk in?" Selphie reached out to touch her shoulder. "Do you mean Saturday?"

Kiri grabbed her bag and sprinted across the field before Selphie could reach her.

"Kiri!"

But they could only watch as she shot through the doors and vanished.

"Um, guys?" Tidus raised his hand, "I might be out of line saying this, but… you think she wants another chance too?"

Kairi ripped her eyes away from the doorway. "Looks like it."

Selphie looked around the group, and ventured out carefully. "So… what _is_ stopping us from hanging out again Saturday?"

Tidus shrugged. "Nothing on my watch."

"Saturday is when everyone's free, right?" Selphie asked.

"Mine is." Sora volunteered. "_Anything_ to get out of my house."

"And we still have Sunday for homework and stuff, right?" Kairi said. "Saturday can be our vacation day."

"Hey, we could do it every week!" Tidus realized. "All of us just hanging out and seeing a movie or something. It'd be awesome!"

"Would it be all right if I came too?" Mani jumped and smiled brightly. "I'd really like that."

"Perfect," Selphie chirped. "We'll let Wakka and Riku know and make it official. It'll be a blast!"

And as the others delved into their chatter, Kairi turned pensive. She was distracted through lunch, and distracted through class. The only time she managed to focus back on the present was when she met with Sora outside of school as they waited for their friend to walk home.

When he arrived to meet Sora and Kairi, the pair had gotten into pleasant small talk, as per usual. What surprised him was that Selphie was there as well. She noticed him first, and her movement made the other two notice as well.

"Hi Riku. How was your day?"

He stopped, almost unsure of how to approach her, and slightly averted his gaze. "It was fine."

She fidgeted. "Look, Riku, I'm really sorry. About the cold shoulder earlier this morning."

He looked up, honestly surprised.

"I guess what you said really struck home with me, and I didn't want to admit it. But honestly, you were right, about everything."

He blinked, and faltered. "I can't blame you for being upset. I wasn't exactly tactful about it."

"Well, you got your point across pretty well, at least."

"Yeah. Guess I did."

"So, everything's fine, then?" She offered a wane smile.

"Yeah." He returned with one of his own. "It's fine."

"Good. Let's get home then." She twirled and led the way back. "Some of us have an early curfew to follow."

"Not my fault," Sora defended.

"This is a surprise," Riku said lightly as he fell into step beside them. "You're not doing anything today?"

"…Normally, I tutor on Mondays. But Kiri's not really feeling up for it today."

"Why not?" He said lightly.

"She… We were talking, and I think it made her upset about Saturday."

His brow furrowed. "Really?"

"She… ran off the field in the middle of talking, during lunch. She hasn't talked to anyone since then."

"Yeah…" Sora scratched his head. "She seems kind of… sensitive."

"What _happened_? What was she talking about?"

"She was talking about you." Kairi spoke up.

He blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah." Kairi kept her eyes ahead and strolled along leisurely. "You should have heard her. She could tell you were wired up about everything. She even defended you, when she heard about the fight with Selphie."

"It's true." Selphie fidgeted. "She was the one that told me I should give you another chance."

"She seems to think pretty highly of you." Kairi said.

"Huh?" Sora looked at her in confusion. "What makes you say that? She was just saying what she thought."

"Just a feeling," she said lightly.

Riku watched her, suspecting that there was more to it. And wondering if she already knew what he had done. "What happened after that?"

"Then she ran off. Tidus figured it was because she was upset about Saturday and wanted a do-over."

Riku sighed softly. "That makes two of us."

"Make it three." Selphie smiled. "Actually, that's something we wanted to bring up with you."

Sora smiled instantly. "Are you free this Saturday? Everyone wants to get together again."

"Really? Is this for Mani again?"

"No, it's for us," Kairi assured. "We all realized we had so much fun, we wanted to try again. Come on, you had fun too, right?"

"Even if you didn't, you're still coming anyway," Sora grinned. "I have to kick your butt at table hockey again."

"In your dreams," he said back easily. "That was a fluke."

"A _fluke_?" Sora gawked at him, quite obviously offended. "Just you wait, soon as we get back to the arcade, I'll show you a thing or two about '_flukes'_."

"Yeah? I'll believe it when I see it."

"Oh, stop it, you two," Kairi sighed.

"Yeah," Selphie piped up. "Save it for the hockey table."

They sent a look at each other, promising that this was not over. Riku's cool, confident gaze broke with a brief yawn.

"Tired, Riku?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah. Long night."

He stopped the moment he said it, and glimpsed at her, but she was looking up ahead, so he paid it no heed.

Riku honestly did not know what to make of it. It was one thing to fake emotions, it was another to fake them and not give an explanation why. She kept their meeting a secret, so he would do the same, but the traits still did not add up. If she really had a heart and was angry about that night, why on earth would she try to make life with his own friends easier? It was his business anyway, not hers. Maybe she was trying to get his attention for some reason.

_Because I'm in love with you._

The real reason, not some strange ploy. And then he remembered that in his haste Saturday, he had completely forgotten to ask about the lock. It appeared as though he would be making another field trip that night. Going to bed a bit earlier seemed like a good idea.

Too bad the field trip that night ended up confusing him more than when he started. His brow pinched very slightly as he peered through the lighted window, wondering to himself just what it was he was looking at.

The next day, Riku tried to think of how he could bring up his question without too much attention. During lunch, he paid half attention to the chatter and tried to rework the plan in his mind, but no matter how many times he went over it in his head, he could not think of a smooth, casual way to bring it up. So, when the bell rang, and they headed back for class, Riku decided he would just have to risk appearing like an oddball for a few minutes, and ask the question straight out.

"Hey, Wakka?"

"Yeah?"

"You know that factory your brother works at?"

"Hey, you were asking about that last week too. Ya sure you're not looking for a job there?"

"I'm sure. Can you think of a reason a carpenter would be there?"

"A _carpenter_?"

"Yeah."

Wakka stared at him a few moments in confusion, and Riku looked to him expectantly.

"Uh… not really. I mean, it's a _metal_ factory, not timber."

"I know. Can you think of any reason why?"

"Um… maybe he needs nails?"

"No. Already had them."

"Oh. Well, ya got me there. Is this some kind of riddle?"

"No. Never mind. Forget I said anything."

He waved as they split off for class, ignoring Wakka's puzzled stare. Well, so much for that. Maybe if he watched from the window again he would see more of whatever she was doing.

Back at the middle school, Kiri had not shown up for lunch. In P.E, she joined the others as they learned to play soccer, and that was some fun, but she still felt lazy and called dibs on goalie so that she did not have to run around too much. In class she yawned a bit, but kept herself awake as she scribbled furiously in her notebook, hunched over and obscuring her face from viewers. There was only a change in pace when Tidus caught Kiri and Cherryll walking out before he went into the locker room after school to get ready for water polo practice.

"Hey, Kiri, wait up!"

She froze and Cherryll watched him curiously as he approached.

"I'm glad I caught you, you've been a no show. Heck, you didn't even talk to us during P.E. I just wanted to say thanks, for coming along last week."

"What?" She watched him in confusion, and darted her gaze between him and Cherryll. "But, I..."

"Hey, come on, you made it a lot of fun, and Mani had a good time. She seems to like you a lot. She was nervous around me; I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. But she seems better now, or at least better around me. So thanks."

She smiled a bit. "Don't mention it."

"So you gonna come again this Saturday?"

Kiri stared wide-eyed as Cherryll perked up.

"Oh, are you guys going out again?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "Kiri suggested it, so we decided to go ahead and make it a weekly thing."

Kiri's jaw dropped in a silent gasp. Wait, she was sure she already said that she had not meant for herself. Hadn't she?

"She did?" Cherryll asked in surprise. "Ooh, sounds like fun."

"Yeah, it'll be a blast. Oh hey, you wanna come? It's uh… Cherryll, right?"

"Right. Would that be all right?"

"Sure, the more the merrier."

"Well then, we'll be glad to make it!"

Kiri looked at her in horror. "Cherryll!" she hissed.

"Great!" Tidus grinned. "I'll see you Saturday, then. I gotta get to practice now. Bye Kairi, see you in class tomorrow."

He waved and jogged down the hall to hurry to his locker rooms before she could correct his name mistake. She was too distracted anyway.

"Cherryll! How could you just bring me along like that? You didn't even ask!"

She blinked, before her smile flickered in annoyance. "Well excuse me for assuming you actually wanted to hang with the people you said you had fun with."

"That's not the point! Maybe I just don't feel like going out again this weekend."

"Right so you can _sleep_ all day?"

"So what if I _do_?" she shot back.

"What's with you? You're so _testy_ today." She huffed and turned on her heel to walk out the door. "Sorry for ignoring your obviously busy plans. I guess you'll just have to tell them that tomorrow."

Kiri pinched her lips together, and followed after begrudgingly. Knowing Cherryll, she would purposely make extra noise during work just to keep her awake. Looked like another long night. She hoped with all her might it would be worth it.

That night, Riku woke again.

Cold, clammy, heaving, he stared up at his ceiling with the blanket and sheet half shoved off, half twisted around him. He blinked quickly, his eyes darting around the shadows, before he finally closed them, and took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

The funny thing was that he could not even remember what the nightmare was about. Then again, that made it easier to brush off.

That in mind, he pulled off the sheets to get ready to go out again. The front door of the factory would most likely be locked again, but he was fine with that. Chances were that he would learn more if he sat on the window sill again anyway. So he climbed up and lounged across the sill as he watched through the glass, hooked by his cursedly insatiable curiosity.

She was working on that block again. He remembered when she had started working on that the first night. It was a piece of wood that was half as tall as she was, and she took the giant block and measured and marked it. It was only one side, it looked like she was just carving a hole into it, yet still she had carved meticulously, checking measurements twice, thrice, over a dozen times as she worked the chisel, checking the notebook she had next to her. There must have been some sort of design going on in there he could not see. Tonight, after she had checked it one last time, she started sanding it, just on the inside where she had carved. It was not a quick process, though she made it look easy. The paper slid back and forth, switching hands and only stopping when she had to knock out the sawdust and turn the block to reach a new side. Around and around it went, Kiri smoothing it out until it finally passed all her inspections. He had to admire her patience. He was getting bored just watching.

Then she actually started using the block, and Riku finally figured out what all of this was about. It answered his carpenter question, anyway. Except now he had a new one, as he saw the fires start up and she hurried to put them out.

Was it really safe for her to be in here on her own?

"I… don't think I can go."

The others were under the tree as usual. Kiri sat down between Selphie and Kairi again after their insistence, and pressed her fingers in a steeple.

"What?" Mani said with disappointment. "You're not coming?"

"Why not?" Selphie said, heartbroken. "I thought you had fun for a while. Don't you want to come?"

"I did! I mean, I was just…"

And she trailed off because she could not explain what was wrong with that scenario if she wanted to. It was hard to be convincing when she would have rather gone anyway.

"Oh not this again," Tidus sighed dramatically. "Look, I told you, we're not still mad from last week. Just relax and let it go. Think of _this_ as a fresh start, right? But uh, if you can, can you show up sleep deprived again? Because that was really funny."

"Tidus!" Selphie admonished, and smacked him upside the head. "Don't encourage her!"

"But it was hilarious," Sora argued. "She was easier to get along with too. Ow!"

He rubbed his head as Kairi leered at him. Kiri brought a loose fist up to her mouth to hide her guilty smile. Now _that_ she thought was funny.

"But you still won't come?" Selphie asked.

This was a recipe for disaster. The problem was, how could she get out of it?

"Well, I'm probably going to be busy this Saturday, actually," she said quickly, and moved her hand to fiddle with her hair. "Cherryll should be fine, but I'll have stuff to do with my family. I'll just have to wait and see."

"Well, let us know, okay?" Selphie asked. "It wouldn't be the same without you."

Kiri chuckled nervously. "I guess not. That's nice of you to say, too."

"But it's true," Mani smiled. "I had a lot of fun with you. You're really nice."

"Really?" She tilted her head slightly, and smiled a bit. "That's good. At least I made a good impression with you. Tidus already said he thought I was funny." She turned around to face Kairi and Sora, and put a finger to her chin as she tilted her head. "What about you? You can be honest."

"Well," Sora fidgeted. "I'd probably like you more if you stopped glaring at me."

"Oh well. Next?"

Tidus snorted, and the others started giggling, both at the clipped timing, and the shocked look on his face.

"Unbelievable," he said. "It's like you don't even care."

"I don't. Frankly I don't like you at all, but I'll still try to be nice."

"But _why_? I tried to apologize and make it up to you, but you've still been after me since day one."

Well… he had a point. Technically, she had no real reason to be irritated at him anymore. He was not the one she thought was after her, and he did seem apologetic before. Though she still did not like his signature and his heart put her on edge. It was still an issue of trust.

"Good question. Should I answer it? I dunno. Maybe I'm just a bad person. I get irritated every time I look at you, and I can't seem to really trust you, though I can't say why. You seem like a nice enough guy, though appearances can be deceiving. I think I'll just have to put up with you since you're friends with everyone, but don't expect me to be happy every time I see you. But don't worry;" she smiled reassuringly, "as long as we don't try to have a conversation and you don't get too close to me, I'm sure we'll be just fine."

If he thought he was shocked before, it was nothing like how he felt now. Thunderstruck might have been a better word. Everyone else gawked, and Selphie was flabbergasted. Kiri had never said a bad word about anyone as long as she had known her, and now _Sora_ of all people was getting her anger? Granted she had reasons, but she never seemed one to hold a grudge.

"Um…" he finally said, "yeah, sure, I'll keep that in mind."

"At least she's honest," Tidus said. "You know, when she's not pretending to be another person."

"Yeah, _brutally_."

"Well…" Kairi spoke up hesitantly, "What about me, then?"

Kairi fidgeted uncertainly. Remembering how Kiri had seemed to be avoiding her all day, she probably had similar feelings about her that she did Sora. Kiri's expression was unreadable for a moment.

"That one is a bit harder to explain. It's not that I don't like you, though." she tried to smile encouragingly. "You're so happy and bright, even when you're sad; you always pick yourself back up again. A strong person. You can always look on the bright side of things, and you're almost never discouraged. You're really nice to everyone too, no matter what. I admire that. You're a beautiful person, inside and out."

Kairi stared, both flattered and stunned at the sudden torrent of praise. "Well, thank you."

Kiri watched her, warring some internal battle, before finally choosing the safe route. In this case, her honesty was too much, even for her.

"I was always afraid of how you'd feel when you learned how I felt about Sora." She smiled wryly. "You guys are good friends. I can imagine how defensive you must be now, right?"

"Is that why?" Kairi asked softly. "Well, except for the thing with Sora," she started out. "I think you're really nice too. I'd like to still be friends."

"Who's side are you _on_?" Sora finally asked.

"It's not like she's trying to be mean," Kairi argued. "Sometimes people just don't get along at first. Maybe you two just need to get to know each other a little more."

Sora sighed and rocked on his hands. "Not likely."

Kiri smiled softly, but it did not reach her eyes. "You're a good person, Kairi. I hope you do well."

Kairi pinched her brow, wondering about the odd look she was giving her. "What?"

"Nothing. Never mind. Just make sure you don't change your hair."

She blinked. "I'm… beg your pardon?"

"You absolutely can't cut it, or change it to black. If you do, you'll break Riku's heart."

"Huh?" She looked up in confusion to Sora. "Does Riku have a problem with black hair?"

"I don't… _think_ so…? Wait," he looked at her in alarm. "Have you been thinking of changing it?"

"No! No of course not. Where did you think of that, Kiri?" She laughed a bit, "Somehow I don't think Riku would be _that_ upset with it."

"No, it's the worst you could do," she assured. She reached out, and held onto the girl's hand. "That's why you have to promise you can't change your hair! You have to stand up for the minority. Redheads need more representation!"

"Okay, time to let you sleep," Selphie sighed, and pat her head and tugged on her arm. "Here, the tree is nice and soft for you."

"But she hasn't promised anything," Kiri complained, even as she leaned compliantly against the trunk. "She has to stand up for the redheads! I won't go down without a fight!" she asserted, then stopped and turned toward the trunk. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, I wasn't yelling at you, I just got excited for a second there. Kairi has such pretty hair, it would be a shame to change it."

The others glanced in the direction she was looking to find whoever it was she was talking too, but she just went to petting the wood.

"That's right, it's all right, I'll keep it down from now on. Hey guys," she spoke up, "Let's try not to yell too much here, okay? She doesn't like loud noises."

And then the others gaped as they came to a conclusion that was just disturbing and impossible all at once.

"Kiri," Selphie ventured, and sighed. "Are you talking to the tree?"

"Well, I scared her, its only right I make it better."

Tidus burst out laughing. "See? What did I tell you? Hilarious!"

"Tidus!" Kiri leered. "What did I just tell you? Keep it down, she's really-" she stopped suddenly and looked back at the trunk. "Oh, you're a boy? I'm so sorry. No, no, it's my fault, I feel just awful now. I thought you were a little boyish, but I thought all trees were girls. Oh, gosh, that was mean of me to assume, wasn't it? I promise I'm really not. A lot of my good friends are trees."

Tidus did not say anything, but pointed emphatically to her.

"Oh, I'm glad," Kiri yawned. "I'm sorry, I'm really tired. Do you mind if I lay down here?" she snuggled up against the wood and leaned her head against it. "It's been a really long week. Hopefully, everything will be better by tonight. Just as long as I don't mess up. I'm really close…"

And the others watched as she went out like a light.

"She's… really bizarre." Sora concluded.

"Sora," Kairi chastised.

"Hey, I'm just saying it as I see it. She was just saying how her good friends are trees."

"Right," she crossed her arms. "Because you're really one to judge on how weird other people's friends are."

"Hey, at least _my_ friends talk back to me."

"Yeah," Tidus grinned. "Maybe that friend of hers she was talking about Saturday was a tree."

The boys snickered, and the girls held back their guilty grins.

"Well, she's unusual," Selphie admitted. "But she's harmless, I promise."

"At least she doesn't actually have a problem with me," Kairi said. "I thought she just didn't like me. You're not too upset, right, Sora?"

"Nah." The boy leaned back to the grass and laced his hands behind his head. "I've had worse. I just wonder how she-" he stopped. "Uh…"

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just… thinking about Kiri's comment."

"Which one?"

"The one about changing your hair."

"What?" Kairi fiddled with her hair self-consciously. "You think I should change my hair?"

"No!" Sora waved his hands emphatically. "Nothing like that. Your hair is great, really, you're perfect just how you are. It's just… there's…" he frowned for a moment, waging an internal battle, before taking the safe route, and smiling. "Just unexpected. It's pretty silly, forget it."

"Well, all right. If you say so."

She still fiddled with the ends of her hair, though Sora was already looking away. He squinted at the filtered light through the foliage, his frown pensive even as the wind brought a cooling respite from the distant shore.


	9. The Confession Interlude

Later, the bell rang, but only a little jostle from Selphie actually woke Kiri up. She straightened instantly, blinked a moment, and then stood up.

"Kiri," Kairi called as she walked up to her. "I want to give you something."

She held out a piece of paper, and Kiri took it. She looked at it in confusion for a moment before looking up to Kairi questioningly.

"Thank you?"

"I'm sorry, I normally would have asked first, but you were asleep and I didn't want to disturb you. I've gotten in the mood, and you were the only one holding still."

"It's fine," she said and shrugged. She still could not figure out what it was the girl had just handed to her.

"Well, I'll be going now," Kairi waved. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," she waved back, and looked to her paper.

She could not see what it was until she returned to her classroom. She slipped it on her desk, bent over to obscure it and scrutinized it with her bangs over her face, which managed to hide the shock when she finally saw what she was looking at. She just wished she could talk with the girl about it. But that was a risk she knew she could not take.

That night, Riku was inside the building and on the bin.

When he had walked by the gate, he had noticed the lock was gone. The windows were closed, but the lights were on and still flickering. Taking a moment to decide, Riku pushed open the gate. When he walked through the empty yard to the door, he tested the knob, and found the door to be unlocked as well. Something was going to happen tonight. So he increased his guard, though still did not summon his weapon as he walked through the rooms to reach the giant room in the back he knew she would be in. All the while he was trying to figure out what she had in store now.

The moment he opened the door, the first thing he felt was the temperature. It was a swell of heat that almost made him gasp, and he paused a moment in surprise. Then he had to jump back and slam the door when a giant dog charged him. Curses, he forgot about that thing. Kiri had gotten the dog to stop barking before, so he waited, slightly impatiently before the barking finally ceased.

The moment the door opened, Kiri held out a long bundle of blue.

"You need to put this on before you come in," she said.

He did not take it right away. In fact, he did not even move for several moments, so she stood there awkwardly before letting it fall, and closed the door again. He knelt, and held it out to look at it. It was the jumpsuit uniform the workers here wore. He guessed it was a safety issue. He also guessed this would be a good way to keep his clothes from getting too dirty without a good explanation. So he slipped it on and entered. There was a metal stake driven into the ground with the dog's chain wrapped securely around the piece, forcing it to bark uselessly from beside the closest forge.

There was a row of the round, fat behemoth of a machine against the left side of the warehouse, with thick and brightly colored pipes to let the fumes to the roof, and rounded grate that swung open. On the side of each forge was a giant bellow, which Kiri pumped up and down to fan the flames inside the metal machine. It was almost comical to watch, since the handle reached up to her head. There were four different colored bins against the right wall just under the windows. Each bin was filled with different kinds of scrap metal. He had seen Kiri rifling through these last night for her task, taking the giant pieces and throwing them into the flames of the forge. Riku assumed she had already done that for tonight. Between each forge and bin there was a conveyor belt that met the grate of each grate. Riku supposed it was what workers were supposed to use to load the metal and feed the forges. Kiri did not bother with them, for whatever reason, so they were turned off.

He had already seen the place from the window sill, so did not bother gawking at it again. For lack of direction, he settled for the bin at the end of the row, and leaned back, noting that he could feel the heat of it even through the jumpsuit. He eyed the barking dog warily. It dug its meaty paws into the cement floor, while its muscles bulged and its tendons strained under its skin as it yelped, showing its teeth as the chain pulled taut. The stake, however, did not move.

"Dynimo won't attack." She said plainly. "He just doesn't like me. He'll keep barking through the night."

"Then why don't you stop him?"

"No point. He'll just start back up again in a few minutes."

It must have been the darkness putting him on edge. He would just have to ignore him. As much as she, apparently, was ignoring Riku. Even when she came close to take another piece from the bin, she pointedly looked anywhere but at him. Over the enormous furnace, Kiri bent over the opened vent, with a long shovel. She shoved and stirred the molten mixture inside with quick and rough, but familiar, handling. Occasionally she paused to walk around to the bellows to fan the flames inside the grate, sending another swell of heat with each pump. This was something he had seen her doing the night before, but it was not until he was actually in the middle of this heat that he could fully appreciate the effort it took. Now that he had seen it up close, he could see the bellows were quite heavy, and were probably pretty hard to pull down. Were it not for her inhuman strength, he doubted she could even pull all of this off. Not with arms like that.

She pulled out the shovel and left the mixture to bubble and heat in the flames. She placed her hand on the conveyor belts in her way and cartwheeled over them instead of walking around them. Walking past the still furiously barking dog, she looked almost like she was going to leave the room, but instead grabbed the big-wheeled handtruck propped beside the door. She dragged it across the room, looking pointedly ahead as she passed Riku, to a corner behind the row of bins. Riku waited until she came out again, already knowing what she was going for.

Sure enough, when she came out, she was pushing a block of wood on the handtruck that was taller than she was. It was two pieces held together by four latches, two on each side, with a lid. She pushed it close to the furnace, wedged it off, and put the handtruck off to the side. After a moment of pushing and shoving the block to match up with a mark on the floor, Kiri pushed a stepladder right next to it before putting on a pair of goggles, and pulling on a pair of gloves tucked into one of the giant pockets. Riku already knew what was coming, and felt that familiar tingle of unease, but forced himself to stay put, even when she grabbed a pair of giant tongs and opened the grate.

It was hard to look at- almost blinding. The material inside glowed almost white hot and sparked precariously. Kiri pried open the black handles and inserted it, closing them and clamping down. She jerked them up, and slowly took a step back, sliding the tongues, and the giant, boiling, shallow, bulky bin of melted iron out of the vent. Never hurried, never wobbly, but steady. He knew for a fact there was no way that was how it was intended. It was something obviously dangerous, and bigger than even she was. The only reason he kept his distance was because of what he had seen her do over this past week. She obviously knew what she was doing, anyway.

He retracted that statement when he saw her approaching the step ladder. He seriously questioned her judgement when she took a careful step that made the ladder tilt. He looked at the feet to find the problem. One of the stoppers was missing.

'She really wants to go up that thing while holding that?'

Granted, he knew she did not have a choice and at least she was being cautious. She was sure to step on one side. It was still nerve wracking seeing the ladder press down from the added weight, and watching the tiniest budge. After last night, he could imagine how bad it would end up if something went wrong. She could not even hold onto the handrail. Should he steady it? Hold the block in place? This was practically a horrible accident waiting to-

The block.

Oh.

Riku could already see that was going to be a problem once she got up.

Kiri noticed it once she reached the last step. She managed to get to the top, and carefully brought the plate over to get ready to pour it in, only to wonder why she did not see the opening. The lid. She forgot to flip it open before she brought out the crucible.

It was a stupid mistake, and a simple one. All she had to do was flick it off. But that would require a hand. The moment she let go of the tongs, it would fall. She would have to climb back down, put this thing down, flip it off, and climb back up again. Unfortunately it was difficult and dangerous to try to lift the bin directly from the floor without spilling the molten metal. Not to mention make it more obvious she made a mistake. Sweat dripped off her nose and down her neck as she cursed herself for being stupid enough to put herself in this position. After a moment she adjusted her stance, and very carefully leaned over. She put her elbow against the lid. If she kept her grip steady, maybe she could pry it open-

"Stop."

It was a good thing Kiri had such strong nerves; otherwise she would have jumped from the sudden voice and proximity. She looked down, watching as Riku reached up and flicked off the hinged wood flap. Then he held onto the vertical bars attaching the handrail, and Kiri wanted to run away and hide. Yet she still lifted the crucible to the needed height and started pouring it in. The crucible was rectangular in shape, but there was a small spout on the side, like a pitcher's. The orange liquid gave off a heat that was almost suffocating, and since Riku did not have goggles, his eyes watered and stung from the heat and fumes.

"You'll need to step back," she said as she paused. "It's getting close to the top and it could splash."

He knew how well that could end up, and had no desire to burn. He glanced to her feet. "Step a little to the left. No, my left."

Only once she was firmly planted did he let go. When she went back to pouring she was quicker, and he took a step back not a moment too soon. It was not a large splash, but still ran over the edge and would have been seriously painful nonetheless.

"Is there anything else you need help with?" he asked.

"…No." She looked at the bin, feeling the burn on her cheeks. "Thank you." She said quietly.

He watched her another moment, before he finally turned away and walked back to taking his position from before, this time on the middle bin. He wondered briefly what had prompted him to act, and then brushed it off. He would have felt the same if he had seen any of the others attempting such a feat, especially Kairi or Selphie. He had to remind himself that this was not a normal girl that he should be worried about, but someone he needed to be wary of.

Kiri repeated her trip to the corner past the bins, this time coming out with a smaller block of wood. The same one she had worked on the last two nights, and now Riku was almost… interested was probably the right word- interested to see how she would finish it off. This one was a whole piece, with no nuts or bolts, and was only about half her size. This time she brought it to the center of the room. She brought over the belt of tools, and laid it flat. She took out the hand-axe, and raised it over her head.

Riku blinked in surprise when the axe first came down. She spent _hours_ on this thing, before she poured in the metal he knew was inside. Yet here he saw her swing down the axe and crack the thing in half like it was an ordinary log. It was only when it finally split in half, and Kiri pried away the pieces that Riku finally realized what the wooden creations actually were. At first he had thought she was adding metal to make the pieces heavier. Now he could see that they were molds. And he watched as she ran her gloved hands over the metal base, wiping away splinters and pieces still stuck to the surface, and taking her tools, and cleaning out the deep hole at the top of the short domed cylinder, handling it like a fragile vase.

There was no clear way to tell time in this particular room, since the clock was actually set up in the other room, but by now it must have been hours since he set foot in this room, and Riku was silently cursing the dog to high heaven and wishing that he had the hindsight to bring a stupid water bottle. What was with it? Pluto dealt with the darkness on a daily basis, but he at least remained friendly and obedient. It was not like she was trying to hurt the dog. The stupid mutt needed to give it a rest before he acted on his temptation to Dark Fire its butt into Oblivion.

Almost instantly after he thought that, the dog went quiet, and Riku discreetly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally. He looked over and saw Dynimo hunched over, and panting up a storm. He might have been reaching heat stroke. Well, if it had not been barking up a storm the whole time, it probably would not be so exhausted. Honestly. Well, in this heat, it actually might not have made much of a difference, if Riku's own state was anything to go by. It did not help that his clothes were thick and heavy anyway, but now with this jumpsuit on over it, everything just felt much more hot and humid. He would have at least unzipped it, but he saw her in the same thick jumpsuit, and refused to be moved. He just ignored the perspiration as best he could, even when his undershirt felt soaked and even his pants felt sticky. He closed his eyes, and tried to relax as he took a few deep breaths, even when every inhale was suffocating.

"Here."

It was a good thing he had such strong nerves, otherwise he would have jumped at the voice, and the proximity. Seriously, how did she get so close without him noticing? He blinked at her, and stared down at the cup she offered him. Behind her, the dog was already lapping up from his freshly filled water bowl. The heat must have been getting to him if he had not even heard that.

"It… might taste a little funny," Kiri smiled awkwardly. "But I promise it's not poisoned."

Riku stared, his expression never changing, and she cursed herself for the poor choice of attempted humor.

"I'll just leave it here," she said quietly, and put the cup on the conveyor belt before turning swiftly away.

She had gone back to her work, taking apart the second piece. Riku debated with himself, but seeing the dog contently taking up his own share made Riku decide to bite the bullet and reach for his own cup.

A shadow flitted in the corner of his eye, and he turned to look behind him up at the window. The row of black openings remained empty and still. He did not move, his fingers nearly touching the cup, but slowly, he pulled back and turned back around, crossing his arms as he went back to watching her even as he grappled with the tingle on the back of his neck.

"You can give it a shot now."

The room had cooled since she had opened the windows. The lights were flipped off, the forge was dormant, and Kiri leaned against it, arms crossed and expression and posture guarded. Dynimo had worked himself into a frenzied state again. It was a miracle he had not suffered from heat stroke yet. He lay down and panted by his water bowl, having drained it a second time, granting temporary, but blessed silence.

"It's obviously a lot sturdier than the last one. But I don't know how strong you actually are. The only way to know for sure is for you to try to break it."

He had to relay her words in his mind several times before he could bring himself to believe it. The piece standing before him was a training post, made entirely out of metal. It was taller than he was, but it was not as big as the wooden pillar Kiri had been demolishing when he first found her.

"Is this it?" he asked incredulously. "You're telling me this is what you've been doing here? Scrounging for scrap metals and making things like this?"

"Not… all the time." She said softly. "I tend to make smaller things. Were you expecting something else?"

"I was expecting something a little grander."

She tried a joking smile. "What did you think I was building, an army?"

"That would have been closer. Why didn't you just tell me this was what you were doing?"

Her smile dropped. "I thought you wouldn't believe me. I figured showing you would be better."

Well, she was actually right about that. After seeing all the effort it took for this measly thing, he doubted she really could afford spending that much time doing much else. But why… then the answer came to him.

"You can't summon your own weapon, can you?"

She looked up sharply, and though her tone was suspicious, he could hear the question in it. "No?"

"Then you made those rods," he realized. "And the knives, and the pillar, and the bar."

She was silent for a few moments. "I had to. There's nothing like that on these islands. So I had to make what I needed."

"Can't believe this. Wish I'd known this sooner."

He fell silent, looking to the pillar in contemplation. She hesitated only a second before plowing on.

"I just… did what I needed. But I'm not trying to hurt anyone," she said hurriedly. "I was just trying to get stronger and defend myself, then I learned how to do all this. I can't do much anymore. I know I'm not that good yet, but I only just started, and I'd like to keep going. I know this is strange, but I really enjoy doing this. It's one of the few things I can do that I'm still proud of. That's at least something worthwhile. Isn't it?"

"Waste of time."

Her mouth opened in a silent gasp.

"Sorry," he snapped out of his thoughts and said briskly. "I guess I was too hasty and jumped the gun. Sorry for bothering you."

For a second she was frozen in place. She watched him turn to leave in a daze.

'Did he really just say that? He couldn't… he didn't really.' She glanced to the window before finding her courage.

"Wait." She reached out.

He stopped and turned to her. She forced her voice to hold on for a little longer, beat down her anxiety, and looked him in the eye.

"Are you afraid of me? Because of… what I am?"

"… I know you made this to prove your innocence. And since you only had to do it to replace the one I destroyed, I'll let this stand. But just so you know:" he turned and stared at her hard, "Something like this is nothing for me. I've faced more enemies then I can count, many more powerful then you can imagine. A handful of them could dance circles around you. Nothing scares me anymore, least of all you. I won't stop you from what you're doing here, but my last warning still stands. The moment you bring in the darkness, I'm coming after you again."

She blinked quickly, holding back her tears. "Oh." She let her hand drop as she looked away. 'Not in front of him, not in front of him…'

"Are you coming?"

"…What?"

"Saturday. You were invited, weren't you? You should come. The others seem to like you."

She still said nothing. Riku could only imagine what she must have been thinking.

"It's your decision," he said easily. "Personally, I'd feel better to see you there. At least then I can see what you're doing. Besides, you're just trying to pass off as normal. It's not like you're actually trying to go after them."

She nodded slowly, more as a shock reaction than anything. "Right. I really did have fun with them all, despite everything. I'd like to try to go again, and have a little more fun."

He was silent at her statement, and his voice was quiet. "I know you're trying to pass off as normal in front of the others, and that's fine. But when we're alone, stop pretending you have a heart. It's… hard to take you seriously, like that."

She finally looked up at him. The expression she had as she looked at him was haunting. Even through the dim light of the predawn he could see her eyes bright and shining, like back at the theater. And it reminded him of something. It bothered him deeply for some reason. When she said nothing, he finally left the room.

He knew it was pointless anyway, as he took off the jumpsuit. She had no heart, after all. Just really, really convincing at pretending she did.

Sora and Riku both lived on the same street. It was how they had met when they were kids. Kairi lived at the Mayor's house, which was one street over, but of course that was not how they met her. From the path of the mountain, Sora's house was the first Riku passed, so naturally he felt a little guilty as he passed.

"How'd it go?"

He stopped, startled at the voice, and turned to see Roxas standing outside Sora's house. He was almost wondering if he was hallucinating; the boy was transparent, hardly more than a dimly colored shadow in the night.

"Sora's awake inside, but he doesn't know I'm out here." The ghostly image took a few steps to Riku until they were face to face. "I suspected you'd try to see her, at least."

He watched him warily, his mind whirring at the possibility of this.

"Where's Naminè?" he asked.

"Right here," she said from behind him.

"And Kairi?"

"Watching from her window."

He turned to look out to the Mayor's house, which stood at two stories. In the window in the back, he saw the girl's form through the darkness. Looked like his suspicions of her were right.

"…It seems like you guys are getting stronger." Riku noted.

"Not stronger," Naminè corrected. "More ingrained with Sora and Kairi."

"What I'm seeing doesn't make sense with what you said."

"Well," Naminè started slowly as she gathered her thoughts, "people aren't the only things that hold memories. Places we've been, or people we've seen can recall memories for us. Even objects can hold precious memories for us."

"Sora and Kairi have a lot of memories together here," Roxas picked up for her. "We can flourish within the boundaries of those memories."

"What you're saying then," Riku tried carefully, "is that as long as you're on this Island, you can go as far as you want?"

"Only if they're awake," Roxas assured.

"And only to places they've already been." Naminè added.

"I see." Riku glanced down, pensive and unsure. "Roxas, Naminè, how strongly can you feel emotions?"

Both went silent at the unexpected question. They were quiet for a long time, actually, staring hard at him and it was Roxas who finally answered.

"I'm a Nobody, remember?" Roxas finally said, and stepped so that his shoulder was between them. "I don't have a heart to feel emotions."

"But you're whole now." Riku argued. "Compare how you feel now to how you did before. Was it really all an act? You had to feel something." He turned his head to look to Naminè. "Sora and Kairi both _changed_ because of merging with you."

"But that didn't change me." Roxas retorted.

"A change of habits doesn't mean a change of emotions," Naminè said softly.

"Then it's true? You don't feel anything?"

"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" Roxas countered, and the supposedly heartless boy did a very good impression of being annoyed and aggravated. "Is it about that girl?" he turned to fully face him. "If you're saying she really is a Nobody, whatever she does is an act."

"But, did she admit to it?" Naminè said. "Did you ask her?"

"I did. She said herself she doesn't have a heart. But she didn't remember it's because she's not human. It seemed to me like she had passed it off and fooled herself into thinking she was still normal."

"Then that's that," Roxas said with finality. "She remembers emotion, but she won't feel it. The Organization wouldn't search for hearts if we already had them."

Riku took it in, and turned the words over in his head. "But does it being a memory make it less real?"

The waves crashed against the shore, and the breeze carried the salt air through the night. Slowly, Roxas's head lowered, his blue eyes sharpening into a glare.

"Don't talk to me about real memories." He hissed, just before he vanished.

Riku did not move, eyes never straying from the spot Roxas just occupied. Naminè hesitantly turned to him.

"Riku," Namine called out. "Is she really the same girl? Is it Kiri?"

"Yeah, it's her, just like I knew it was."

"I see."

The projection was quiet as she watched him leave for home. She was pensive as she spoke aloud. "She doesn't remember that she isn't human. But if that's true, then how did she act so emotional before?"

Kiri looked to the pillar, confused and conflicted for so many reasons it hurt.

"I guess this proves it. It really was a lost cause." She had a soft laugh that was more like a shaky sigh. "Can you believe that? After all this time, it turns out I never had a chance in the first place. Funny, right?"

From the farthest window lounged a figure hidden in the shadows of the night.

"You were right. He changed. So much."

At the call, he swung both legs over, and dropped all the way down to the floor without a sound.

"I know I should be grateful I tried." She murmured. "It's better to have the truth. But maybe I was better off not knowing. At least then I could have held onto the dream. Or at least the memory of the dream. Better than nothing, right?"

Kiri did not look up as he made his way over. His shadow towered over her, and she knew that the silence was prompting her.

"I know you warned me. And I still don't regret it. I just didn't realize how much it meant. Or how much it would hurt. All for a stupid little fight. It doesn't matter anyway. I'll have to give him up like everything else. It'll all be gone soon."

The figure still said not a word, even when her voice cracked and she finally released her tears.

"Waste of time," she cried. "That's all this was. Just a waste of time…"

She did not resist when the figure finally wrapped one arm around her shoulder to pull her into his chest, and she cried openly into his vest.

"Hi, Kiri," Mani greeted Thursday morning. She walked up to her in the courtyard in front of the school, her purple and flowered handbag bouncing against her knees. "It's a nice day, isn't it?"

Kiri took her eyes away from Cherryll among her group of friends, and looked to the sky. "Yeah." She murmured listlessly. "Bright and sunny. Like always."

Mani's polite smile faltered. "Are you all right?"

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine." She stretched her lips weakly. "I'm sorry, was there something you needed?"

"Well, no," Mani said uncertainly. "I just wanted to know if you decided if you're coming Saturday."

Kiri nodded. "Yeah. There's nothing really stopping me anymore."

Mani watched her another moment before clutching her bag tighter. "Um, you don't have to force yourself, if you don't want to."

"No, really, I want to go, no one's forcing me…"

Mani frowned a moment and stepped up to peer under her. "Kiri?"

"Oh, sorry. Just tired, I guess. What about you?" Kiri tilted her head slightly. "You seem uneasy."

"Well, ah…" Mani glanced down. "No reason. Guess I was just thinking about Saturday."

"Don't worry. It'll go well this time."

"Right. Um, Kiri? Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

She blinked, and Kiri shook her head.

"Sorry, lost myself. What is it?"

"It's about… Saturday. Last Saturday. I got the whole story from Tidus, about what happened, and I started thinking. You were… trying to pass off as someone else, right?"

"Right."

"Then, does that mean… how you acted isn't how you normally act?"

Kiri went quiet as she stared at Mani, and the girl looked at her worriedly.

"Does that bother you?"

"Well… I don't know if that was really you or not. So, I'm not really sure what to expect."

Mani had started bouncing her bag against her knees as Kiri watched her. She seemed… hesitant. Perhaps a little shy? Kiri brought her hands together for a moment, thinking over the implications.

"Mani, I'd like to ask you something. Would you be honest with me?"

"Sure."

"Did you really like me? The way I had acted before?"

"Well… to be honest, yes. I really did. But if that's not really you, that's fine too, I just-"

"Mani, Mani, it's okay, slow down," Kiri's lips quirked for a moment, before she relaxed. "I want to tell you something," she said slowly, "but, if I do, would you promise me something? Actually, two things."

"Sure, what is it?"

"That you don't ask any questions, and that you won't tell anyone what I'm about to say. Especially not Cherryll."

Mani stared, before hesitantly agreeing.

"There's a certain way I'm expected to act. At school, and at home. I have to be very careful what I do or say, otherwise people will worry. And others will treat you a certain way, when they think they know you. After a while, it's very… tiring. The moment I realized I could pass off as someone else, I was… freed. Without even realizing what I was doing, I grabbed onto a chance to get out. Saturday I could be a little more like myself, without worrying. Though I guess I still got caught up in trying to impress everyone and have a good time. But to hear you say you liked me anyway… makes me very happy." She gave a small smile. "So thank you."

"But, I don't get it," Mani frowned. "Why can't you be more like yourself all the time?"

She was quiet as she looked at her.

"Oh, wait, that was a question, wasn't it?"

"It's fine. Just complicated. Thank you, for indulging me. It was nice, for a while. I'm sorry for deceiving you."

"Are you going back?"

Kiri tilted her head in question.

"To how you were acting before. Does this mean you'll keep… hiding yourself now?"

Kiri was surprised at the worry in Mani's eyes. She slowly smiled. The girl was so sweet.

"Yes, I will. But only for a little while longer. Soon enough, I won't have to pretend anymore. So don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I was worried for a minute there. I can't wait until Saturday. I'll see you later." She waved before rejoining her group of friends. Kiri holding up her hand in a brief mimic of a wave, before letting it drop.

"Yeah." Kiri murmured to herself, and looked down to her shoes. "Can't wait."

* * *

><p>My usual followers are going to wonder about the updates for this fic, and wonder why it's all old material. Please stand by for a better explanation.<p> 


	10. The Second Confession

That Saturday, everyone could finally join in on the fun, something Kiri would have been slightly grateful for if she could muster up the energy to feel anything at all. If there was one thing Cherryll could do, it was smooth over a bad situation. If she messed up, at least she would be there to fix things. And really, she was not sure how she was going to possibly get through the day. She was just… numb. She wondered if even trying to attempt this feat would even be worth it, after everything. She knew she had to try. It was just a matter of getting herself to care enough to attempt it.

Selphie still lived closer, and by unfortunate circumstances, so did Sora, so Kiri still walked with them to the ferry. Once they arrived, Kiri saw Mani and Cherryll had already struck up a conversation. Cherryll was bright and cheery as per usual, and managed to coax a smile out of Mani, but the younger girl did not talk as much as last Saturday. Kiri understood all too well why.

On the ferry, the seats quickly filled up, the teens taking up the end of the ferry instantly. It was a similar seating arrangement as last Saturday, though Cherryll had ended up sitting next to Mani. It filled up one side of the bench, leaving the only open space next to Kairi. So Kiri opted to stand near the gate.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" Cherryll asked.

"There's room right here," Kairi offered.

"Thanks, but I'd rather stand," Kiri said. "And be closer to the gate."

"If you insist."

So the others went back to their conversation, and Kiri remained at the end of the boat. Riku spared a single glance, before turning back to Sora and Kairi's animated conversation, occasionally adding his few bits in. The Plaza was just as vibrant and bustling as last week, and just like last time, the group headed first to the theater to check out the times.

"Okay, any suggestions?" Selphie asked.

"Oh, how about that one?" Cherryll pointed to the board.

"The five o'clock?" Tidus grimaced. "Oh man, that's gotta be the sappiest title I've ever seen."

"How about the three o'clock one above it?"

"I guess that's fine. We can still do a few things after, right?"

"So, what do we want?" Selphie said. "The three or five o'clock?"

Everyone voted on three o'clock, and also voted that lunch was the first thing on the agenda, and that this time everyone would go off to the different places and pick something to eat again.

"Oh, that's a good idea," Cherryll commented, and turned to Kiri. "Come on, let's get something."

"But I was going to reserve the table," Kiri said. "To make sure no one takes it while we're gone."

"We'll just be a few minutes, no one's gonna take it. Come on, I need to make sure you eat."

Well, someone did take the table. The others felt a little awkward at first trying to figure out what to do, but figured they'd just find other smaller tables to push them together and make a substitute. Kiri of course had to get a plate along with Cherryll. This time, it was just a modest portion of pesto pasta with a small drink. No side dishes. Cherryll had started talking as they walked back to the table, but Kiri just looked down at her plate in silence.

"You feeling all right?"

"Huh?" Kiri looked to Wakka.

"That's all you're eating?" Wakka said teasingly. "You're not feeling sick, are you?"

She glanced at her plate again. "No, no, I'm fine. I'm just not very hungry right now."

"Well, don't force yourself to eat too much this time," Cherryll said.

Kiri winced, hoping no one else made the connection. They took their seats and she began eating in silence. The conversation went on around her, Kiri staring listlessly at her plate, taking the occasional bite from her meal but only every few moments.

"Kiri," Cherryll frowned a moment at her. "You're looking a little pale. Are you coming down with something?"

Kiri's free hand went up to her face. "Am I? No, really, I'm okay." She looked down, and clenched her fork with a trembling fist. "Though now that you mention it, I might be. I don't know if it's contagious or not." She smiled nervously. "So if I stay away from you guys, don't worry about it too much."

"Man," Wakka shook his head. "If it was that bad, ya shoulda stayed home and slept, yeah?"

Kiri's mouth quirked. "Right. I just already said I'd go. I didn't want to go back on my word or anything."

"Man, that sucks," Tidus shrugged. "Sorry to hear."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Would you like to sit in the shade?" Mani offered quietly.

Kiri's smile grew a little more genuine. "Thank you. I don't think it'll make much of a difference, though."

"Alright. Just don't push yourself okay?"

Mani had gone back to eating her plate, and Kiri watched her a moment. She almost felt… something that might have been guilt. She did not want to make the poor girl worry about her. It was bad enough that Cherryll and Selphie were going out of their way. Yet Kiri was not sure how to reassure her. Then Mani was sucked into a conversation by Tidus and Selphie, and Kiri let it go, unconsciously lowering her head as Cherryll and Wakka spoke over her.

_When you're at rock bottom, the only way to go is up. Find your strength to start climbing again. You've done it plenty of times before._

It was easy to say. She wished she had that much faith in herself. She had all day. Maybe her drive would kick back up again later. It had not changed after the meal. She barely finished half, but took along her drink, promising to sip on it through the day.

The next place on the agenda was the arcade, suggested instantly by a certain person bent on regaining his top score. He was so vehement on going that he assured the others that he was going there with or without them. They figured to stick with the familiar pattern, and followed him into the building, and to the counter to get their gaming tokens.

"All right, this time, he's going down!" Wakka declared as he went into the booth.

Cherryll read the sign, and grimaced. "Boys," she muttered, and took Kiri's hand. "Come on, let's leave him to his game and find something else to do."

Kiri looked at their joined hands. She counted in her head until Cherryll let go, and reached three. She made one longing, wistful glance at the curtained machine, before following Cherryll again.

Riku watched as Kiri followed without a word, even when she made a rather pointed stare at the booth that was missed by her friend. He did not understand why she did not say anything. If she wanted to play, then why not play? The whole day she seemed to be out of sorts. Had he not already said he was fine with her being here and would leave her alone? There should not have been a reason for her to be so… distant.

"Okay, Riku, time to play," Sora cut-in. "Time to see if you have what it takes to actually _try_ this time."

"Your funeral," he retorted. "This time, you are not going to beat me."

And sure enough, he did not. But, Sora was still placated by the fact that he won the first match, so Riku demanded a new game to break the tie. Kairi stopped them, because their game had taken so long that the others were already done playing. ("That's right!" Wakka announced proudly. "Got my name at the top again, right where it belongs!" Riku glanced at Kiri, but she was not even looking to him, swaying her cup carelessly.) The boys kept their tokens for next time, already silently agreeing that next week would decide the champion.

They meandered down the walkway with the excuse of window shopping, except the girls dragged the boys into the shops this time. The boys humored them, but had gradually fallen into the pattern of forming a little group near the entrance as the girls explored the curios laid out on the shelves. All the shops they went into blurred together for Kiri after the first one. In the first one, Kairi had found a little play pot painted and glazed in a modest dark brown, with a row of vibrant geckos on the rim.

"Oh, Kiri, look what I found," she held it up to eye level.

The girl looked curiously to it, before smiling. "It's cute."

"You think so? Do you like lizards?"

"I like them all right," she tilted her head. "Do you?"

"Well, I actually prefer dogs. I just noticed you looking at the lizard before."

Kiri seemed confused, before she figured out Kairi meant last weekend. Her startled eyes flicked back and forth from her to the little pot and quickly put on a smile.

"Oh, um, I'm surprised you remembered. It was just for that thing, though."

"Oh? So what _is_ your favorite animal?"

"Actually, I like ameninies."

Kairi blinked, and Kiri balked.

"Er, wait, I meant anenimies. A sea nemen- amenimies!"

"All right, all right, don't hurt yourself." Kairi laughed. "I know what you meant."

"I'm sorry," Kiri said dolefully, and covered her burning red face.

"Kiri, it's fine, really." And Kairi struggled to not start giggling again. "So, you like sea anemones? That's different."

Kiri nodded once, and pushed her fingers together. "They're really pretty, especially when they're-" she stopped, frozen in place as she looked to Cherryll's back. The girl seemed busy with looking at her own corner of the shop, but she was staring at one piece in her hand, not moving. "-Um, well, I didn't mean "pretty", just interesting. Really nice to look at." she said quickly. "My favorite animal is actually rabbits."

Kairi's smile had faltered as she watched Kiri's sudden freeze. She watched the girl curiously, and glanced once at Cherryll, before bringing the smile back up. "Is that so? Rabbits are nice too."

"Right. Maybe I'll find some over here," Kiri said, and turned away to another part of the shop.

Kairi watched her go, and looked to Cherryll. She put away the little piece she had been holding, and moved along, coming up next to Sora and instantly striking up conversation. Kairi frowned thoughtfully at the little pot in her hands, before she put it back on the shelf.

During the rest of the walk in the shops, Kiri had not said a word to anyone else, except Cherryll when she chatted with her for a few seconds at a time. She remained listless and shied away from the others, especially when they formed a group. Even a pair chatting was enough to keep her away.

"Aw man, we missed the beginning of the movie," Wakka realized when he saw the time.

The girls winced and looked at each other sheepishly. (Except Kiri who just looked up to the sky.)

"Well, we can still go to see it," Selphie pointed out.

"Yeah, but we already missed the set up. We'll get all confused later and stuff."

"True. Okay, so no movie."

"Well, guess that means more shopping," Cherryll chirped. "Oh well!"

The boys groaned in unison. (Except Riku, who just glanced to a potted plant.)

And so, without much argument- just complaining- the teens all found themselves in yet another clothing store.

"We were just in here last week!" Tidus complained.

"No we weren't, that was a different shop," Selphie argued.

"Man. How many times can you girls look at clothes in one month?"

"Hey," Cherryll cut-in. "I haven't been shopping in over a month."

Kiri blinked. "But we were just in here last week."

"But that was for you. I mean I haven't been shopping for _me_."

Well, she had a point there. She discreetly sighed and bit her tongue, following along with the girls as they started their newest campaign. Because this was a different store, there were new things to check out, including a few displays that the girls used more for fun than practicality. Even Kiri had been dragged into it. Mani had escaped and stayed near Tidus.

"Hey, Kairi," Sora could not help but smile in amusement as he ambled over. "Trying on glasses?"

"Yep, what do you think?" She posed with her fingers laced under her chin.

"You look good." He glanced over and chuckled as he saw Selphie in her intellectual pose. "You too." Then he looked at Kiri, and smiled. "You look…" he looked to her in confusion for a moment. "Familiar…"

"I hope so," Kairi laughed. "You've only been seeing her all day."

"Er, no, that's not what I meant. I mean…" He trailed off as he looked at her thoughtfully.

"Here, try these too." Selphie urged, and handed them over.

Kiri tried them on to humor her, and the girls looked to her curiously.

"It's different, but not really your thing, I guess." Selphie admitted.

Without a word, Kiri put the glasses back, and picked up another pair with blue, oval-shaped frames. She unfolded them and pushed them in placed with one hand, brushed her hair behind her ear, and gave a small smile.

"Wow," Kairi breathed. "What a difference. You look _really_ good."

"Ooh, hey, it goes with your blazer," Cherryll smiled. "I guess your old frames really were the best."

"Old frames?" Selphie asked.

"I used to wear glasses." Kiri explained.

"Really?" Selphie asked in surprise. "You don't need them anymore?"

"No. They got more annoying so I stopped wearing them."

"Annoying?" Kairi frowned in incomprehension. "You mean you still need them?"

"Technically, yes," she admitted, grinned unabashedly, and waved her hand in front of her face. "Blind as a bat."

Dead silence. Everyone turned and stared in surprise. Kiri looked around, and blinked.

"What?"

"Eh?" There was an echo of shock.

"You know…" Kairi said carefully, "That explains a lot."

"So that's why you keep running into things," Mani murmured.

"And why you can't play to save your life." Wakka shook his head.

"But… you can still see things, right?" Selphie tried to figure out. "And you recognize people?"

"Yeah. I'm far sighted. I can see fine if things are farther away. Like," she lowered the spectacles to peer over them. "I can see… that sign up there," Indicating a sign against the far wall naming the section, "And I can kind of see Tidus and Mani over there," who were the farthest members of the group, "But everyone else starts to get really blurry by this point." She looked at Selphie right in front of her, and smiled apologetically. "I can barely even see the outline of your hair. I only recognize you by your usual colors." She slipped her glasses all the way on, and blinked. "Huh. You've grown a bit from last year."

Riku was stunned. He knew she needed glasses from watching her in the factory, but he figured that she would at least be able to see people in front of her. That first moment they met, he could _feel_ her eyes boring into his. He shared a look with Sora and knew he was thinking the same thing. There was no way she could be.

Wait a second… If she did not even know what he looked like, than how had she tricked herself into thinking she had fallen in love at first sight?

"So you're far sighted," Selphie affirmed to herself, then she looked up to her crossly. "Kiri, you haven't been wearing your glasses when studying."

Kiri blinked and looked away shiftily. "Oh right… I forgot why I was keeping that a secret…"

Her agitation increased. "Have you been pulling my leg this whole time?"

"Well, I _have_ been trying to read without them," she defended, but still recoiled.

"You just said you can't see close up!"

She brought up her cup and hand in defensive maneuvers. "Well, for the most part, but I've gotten good at making things out."

"I don't believe this." Selphie sighed dramatically. "No wonder you can't write in a straight line. Go back to wearing your glasses!"

"But I get along fine without them."

"I think you should go back to wearing them." Kairi admitted. "It can't be good for you."

"Oh I'm fine," she waved off the concern, and rapped her knuckles against her head. "I'm pretty hard headed. I can handle a few bumps and bruises."

"That's not what I meant."

"And that's not even what the phrase means." Selphie pointed out.

"Oh!" Sora snapped his fingers. "Now I know where I've seen you!" He pointed to her. "You were with that kid Riku beat up!"

Tidus let go of the hat he was adjusting as his and every other head spun in their direction. Everyone else froze in expectation, and Kiri swallowed once, before she smiled.

"That's right. That was me. Nice to meet you again."

And more than one mouth hung open. Kairi turned to Riku in horror.

"Have you been bullying others?"

"Of course not!" He seemed just as confused as the rest. "Sora, what are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember? It was back when we were kids. There was this bigger kid that was trying to pick a fight with us for some reason. Then you took him on and beat him. But I remember there was a girl wearing glasses with him."

Kairi gasped. "I remember that now! She was standing behind him during the fight. It was at the dock. He wanted to take a boat."

Now he did remember. "You mean that tall kid with glasses." Riku looked back at her, and everyone else kept an eye on him. "Was he a friend of yours?"

She looked down suddenly, and was quiet for a few moments as her face burned from all the stares. She slipped the glasses back off and folded them slowly. She silently braced herself and took a steadying breath.

"Actually, he was her brother."

All eyes went to Cherryll, including Kiri's stunned gaze.

"_What_?" Tidus gawked. "You're kidding. She has a brother? Since when?"

"Since always, silly. He was pretty bossy when they were younger, so they don't really get along now. She doesn't talk about him much. She tended to follow him around. But I guess one day they both ran into you three, and he got into the fight and lost-"

"_Cherryll_!"

Everyone was quiet again, not because of the interruption, but because of the tone akin to slamming a door. Her lips were tight, and her eyes shining with anger. Cherryll flinched.

"Did you want to talk?" she asked carefully.

"I wanted to speak for _myself_." She said coldly.

"I'm sorry… it's just you were quiet for a while, and I thought you were going to curl into your shell again…"

"Thanks for looking out for me." She snapped. "You're a real friend." She stormed off.

"Kiri," Selphie called out. "Wait."

But she ignored her, storming all the way to the back of the store until she was out of sight. Cherryll looked down sadly, and twisted her foot into the floor.

"I shouldn't have done that." She said. "I've just been looking after her for so long, it's just natural by now."

"I still think that was a little harsh," Sora said. "It's not like you were doing anything."

"I dunno," Wakka spoke up. "I get the feeling there's something else she wanted to say, yeah."

"It's not like I was going to say anything," Cherryll defended weakly. "I just thought she needed a little help getting started."

No one else had anything to say, and the silence became thick and awkward.

"Hey guys, I have an idea," Tidus said. "The theater is still open, right? Why don't we all cool off by catching a film? I'm sure there's something still playing."

"That's not a bad idea," Wakka admitted. "Guess you still gotta brain in there."

"Very funny."

"Here, I'll go get Kiri," Kairi offered. "You guys meet us at the theater, okay?"

"Well, all right," Sora shrugged. "As long as everyone's up for that."

She hurried to the back to find the girl, and Sora glanced to his other friend, and looked up curiously.

"Riku? Something wrong?"

He remembered what he had forgotten. Now that he could think, Riku could remember that time so long ago, taking that annoying boy down a few pegs. Then watching as he trudged away, demanding the girl to follow him. She had looked so small in comparison. She wasn't short, but thin, with her little glasses and long hair, she just seemed fragile next to him. And she had looked at him, her eyes longing to say something, but said nothing when she turned to follow him back, and disappeared.

It was like that time in the theater, and again in the factory, with both of those being an echo of that encounter. She really had been here the whole time. That girl that he had indirectly 'fought' so long ago, was the same girl he had suspected and threatened, right here. Or would it be more accurate to say an 'impression' of her? Was it possible, then, that there was something else she was looking for?

"No," he said softly. "Just thinking."

"Kiri?" Kairi said softly as she peeked around the middle display. "You okay?"

Kiri blinked quickly and looked to the side, clutching the rim of her cup.

"We're going to go to the movies," she said. "We can still catch the later showing."

"I hope you enjoy it."

She blinked.

"I'd rather stay here for a little while, thanks."

Kairi frowned sympathetically and took a few steps to come up in front of her. She peered up under her. "Kiri, Cherryll really is sorry for what she did. Why don't you let her apologize properly, and forgive her?" she smiled encouragingly. "We can all get back to having fun for today and end on a good note this time. No harm, no foul, right?"

"That sort of thing is probably easy for you, isn't it? It's too bad I'm not a little more like you."

Kairi lost her smile and looked up at her worriedly. "Kiri…"

Kiri grimaced slightly, and closed her eyes. "Please," she murmured. "I can't. I'm angry, and I can't forgive her right now. Go have fun with everyone and forget about me for a while. I need a little time for myself."

Kairi looked at her uncertainly, obviously not liking the idea, before giving a little shrug, and smiling wanly.

"All right. If that's what you want. We'll come back for you, okay?"

"See you later."

"See you later," Kairi replied, and lost her smile as soon as she turned around.

Kiri was still as she listened to Kairi's footsteps fade away. She removed her glasses and put a hand to her face.

"Ow."

Kairi could not enjoy the movie for more than a few seconds at a time. Neither could Cherryll, really. Riku did not even bother to try to enjoy the movie. There was something else about that time that bothered him too. After he had won, and he finally noticed her looking at him, he had said something to her before she turned and left. What was it? The question bothered him for some reason.

When they arrived at the store, they headed toward the back, but when they arrived, she was gone.

"She didn't leave, did she?" Sora wondered as he looked around.

"I said we were coming right back for her," Kairi said.

"No, she's over there." Mani pointed.

They saw her gliding over from the end of the store. What was strange was that she had her hair pushed back, and was wearing the glasses from the store as she looked at them. Mani would not have even recognized her if not for the signature blazer.

Cherryll was the first to go out and meet her.

"Kiri, I'm so, so sorry. I know I shouldn't have done that to you, and I really wish I could take it back."

"It's okay, really, I'm fine. I was just upset." She curled her hair behind her ear. "I was probably a little harsher than I should have been. I've just wanted say this for a long time, so I got mad."

"I know. You had every right to be mad. I shouldn't have butted in. I won't do it again, not anymore."

"So, no more interruptions?"

"No more," she swore, and reached out her hand and squeezed it. "Good luck."

She smiled softly and squeezed back. "Thanks. For what?"

Cherryll blinked. "To talk to him of course."

"Talk to him? Why would I do that?"

"Aren't you…?"

"What, now? No way! Now everyone's watching, I can't say anything, I'll feel embarrassed."

"Oh come on," Kairi coaxed. "Now we want to know."

"We do?" Sora asked, and she elbowed him.

Kiri twisted her foot. "Do I have to?"

"We'll pretend not to notice." Kairi assured.

She twitched. "I know you'll still be there."

"It's okay." Mani said. "I'll be right here rooting for you."

"I…"

She finally took a look to Riku, and in her eyes he could see the hesitance, nervousness, and the pressure of the spotlight. He felt a mild form of curiosity, though he was mostly wary. Why? A part of him was almost afraid to hear what she had to say, though he could not say why. Despite everyone's assurance they would pretend not to notice, their eyes were glued to the scene as the pair stared each other down, the tension building with each passing second.

"I can't," she finally said and swiftly turned and walked away.

And just like that, the tension broke, everyone letting out the breath they'd been holding.

"Well," Cherryll sighed. "So much for that."

At the front, as Kiri waited for the others, she looked down at the glasses in her hand. She sighed softly, folded up the spectacles and put them back on the shelf.

"Hey," Cherryll said softly. "Um, you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured weakly.

"Are you sure you don't want to say anything? Who knows," she winked. "Maybe he'll start noticing you for sure now."

"I don't think I have to worry about that."

"Come on, Kiri, I'm sure he'd be flattered. Try to think a little more positively for once."

"That's all it takes," she smiled wryly but her eyes were heavy. "Just positive thinking, right?"

"Exactly!"

"Hm. Maybe I should. Right now, I'd be happy if he just said 'you're welcome.' But, I still won't hold my breath."

"Well… if he doesn't, it will only be because he's speechless," Cherryll asserted. "Come on, let's get you home."

At the ferry, everyone was saying their final goodbyes, see you Mondays, and what not, though before they split ways, Kiri tapped a zoned Riku's shoulder, and at first he had thought it was Sora or Kairi.

"Hey, Riku?"

There was an almost undetectable flinch when he saw it was her.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I walk with you?"

"No. I don't."

"I'll walk with Selphie and Sora," Kairi said instantly. "You don't have to take me home."

"Are you… going to have Riku walk you home?" Cherryll asked.

"No," she smiled easily. "I just want to walk with him for a bit. Can you meet me at my house, Cherryll?"

"That should be fine." She said easily. "I'll be there for cover."

"Thanks."

Even as the girls were talking, Tidus raised an eyebrow and smiled. Wakka grinned suggestively. Mani bit her lip. Sora was the only one to seem to share similar feelings as him. Confusion, and a hint of uncertainty. He gave an encouraging smile.

"See you later," he said.

"Yeah. See you later."

Both Kiri and Riku walked in a thick silence, but not for long. He was patient enough to get out of the hearing range of the others, but he had never been the silent type.

"Are you still angry?"

She flinched, almost undetectably. "What for?"

"The fight with your brother. It still bothers you, right?"

She pushed down the disappointment. "No. I'm not angry. The truth is I didn't really like my brother, when I was younger." Her voice was soft and distant as she turned thoughtful. "He was bossy, and pretty demanding. I thought he was stronger than anyone, since he was older, so I never said no to him. Then he got into the fight with you. I knew you were close to my age, so I thought for sure you would lose. But you won. It made me realize that my brother wasn't the strongest. I didn't feel as intimidated by him, after that. For a while, if I got really mad, I'd threaten to go find you to show him a thing or two. It was nice to be able to stand up for myself. I was… very glad you did it."

This close he could see the fear and uncertainty flickering across her face, even as she kept it down. This was… definitely not the way he expected this to go. And it was still unsettling how convincing she could be without a heart.

"I've never gotten the chance to actually tell you," she told him. "I know it doesn't mean anything to you, but it meant a lot to me back then. I admired you for it and I felt braver. You became my hero. Funny, right?"

He stared in shock. His expression did not change even as he looked away from her, struggling with his confusion.

"It wasn't like I had intended anything by it."

"I know."

It was soft, clipped, and accepting. The purely matter-of-fact and resigned attitude was almost disarming. He looked at her again, but she was looking off to the side. Her eyes glossed over, and her expression was so melancholy he found his heart going out to her.

"You didn't even know I was there. But I didn't care. I was just glad you did what you did."

She finally looked back up to him, and she was so… lost, that it hurt. She was hurting. She was also afraid.

"The truth is, at the time you helped stop me from becoming something I hated. And even now, you helped me become a better person. I've been struggling, with everything that's happened this past year. You were my inspiration. Even though you were gone, I always remembered you, and always thought about you, when things got hard. I would try to imagine what you would do, if you were in my shoes. Or even imagine you encouraging me. It was my admiration that helped me get better, even when you hadn't even done anything. Funny, right?"

She lost a little nerve, and closed her eyes as she looked away. Her hands came up, one going to clutch the material of her shirt. Only because he was close could he see her hands trembling.

"But, even though I appreciated what you did, I never got the chance to thank you properly for it. So, here I am, doing something I should have done years ago."

There was a tiny hitch in her voice, and she stopped. Riku stopped with her. She carefully took a calming breath, and from this close he could see the shining tears she withheld as she managed to look at him.

"Thank you, Riku. For giving me hope and helping me find my confidence."

A slap would have been less painful. He never in a million years would have thought a phrase could fill him with such a heavy guilt. Her voice wobbled, and her eyes shone, but she kept her eyes on him as she stood.

"You'd… rather thank me, for what I did years ago by accident, even after what I purposely put you through this past week. Why?"

Kiri had to remind herself to breathe. Was this detached curiosity? Another interrogation to figure out if she was telling the truth? Was it hesitance? She knew she could have looked into him to see for herself, see which part of his heart he was acting on, yet at this point she was afraid of what she would find.

"Because… I've wanted to do that for a very long time." She looked down. "It's really hard to give up those feelings. And… even if I did feel braver, talking to you was the one thing I could never do. If I didn't go through this, I would never be able to let you go. Not without a clear conscience."

Oh no. He swallowed thickly, and looked at her with dawning horror.

"So when… I said 'the first time we met', you meant..."

"I probably should have explained better, that night," she murmured. "I wasn't thinking clearly enough to think that you had forgotten."

It was no wonder she had come to admire him. And admiration turned to infatuation, and…

Suddenly, everything made _sense_. She had wanted his approval.

His _approval_.

He huffed. She paused. He brought one hand up to his face as his shoulders started shaking. Uncertain and fearful, Kiri raised her eyes again to meet his and jumped when his chuckles sprung into full-out laughter. She froze, terrified and wide-eyed as he threw his head back and laughed into the night air. Not the quiet chuckles or easy laughter, but hard, mirthless bellows that hurt her ears.

He stopped abruptly when splashed with day-old soda.

He stared at her with a sort of stunned expression. She still had the empty cup pointed toward him. Her visible eye was still wide, but with tears openly running down her face. She was winded as though the sheer effort had exhausted her. They remained in the stalemate, speechless. Riku only finally broke it when he wiped his hand across his face, feeling no anger in the action. She should have been embarrassed and nervous, instead of terrified. She should not have to look like she was in so much pain to say this.

She should have been smiling, instead of crying.

And it was his entire. Stupid. Fault. He sighed.

"You chose the worst role model."

He saw the movement, but by the time he registered the white cup, it already hit his head. Her hands shook. Her eyes flashed, and she seemed like she was choking on the words she wanted to say.

"You …" Another moment's struggle, and she managed something. "BEAST!"

He watched in silence as she turned and bolted. He looked down at the trash by his feet.

"You would have been better off choosing Sora."

But he could not figure out why those particular words made him sick to his stomach.

* * *

><p>Okay, so I'm actually going through and making shorter chapters from now on, but I'm going back and breaking up all my old chapters, so it's not so intimidating to new readers, lol. Don't worry, new chapter is almost done, so it'll be up soon!<p> 


	11. Ambush

That night, Riku woke again.

Cold, clammy, heaving, he stared up at his ceiling with the blanket and sheet half shoved off, half twisted around him. He blinked quickly, his eyes darting around the shadows, before he finally closed them, and took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

This time he remembered what the nightmare was about.

_The storm clouds tumbled across the night sky, making everything nearly pitch black. The only hint of light was the anti-mass of darkness that acted as a twisted sun, casting its inverted dark light over the land and sea. The ocean was black and angry, the water churning and capping with white foam. The wind was already picking up. Even as Riku stood upon the Paopu Island, he knew the moment of truth drew nigh. He closed his eyes, already feeling the alien force drawing on the Island. It was strange, almost frightening, but he thrilled in it, reveled in it, and welcomed it with open arms. Especially when he heard the heavy footfalls of his best friend. Now._

"_Where's Kairi?" Sora skidded to a halt. "I thought she was with you."_

_Look at him. Look at how scared he is._

"_The door has opened…"_

"_What?"_

_You have to ignore it. Pay more attention to __him__._

"_The door has opened, Sora!" He said as he turned around. "Now we can go to the outside world!"_

_No, you fool, forget the door! Forget the outside world!_

"_What are you talking about? We've gotta find Kairi!"_

_Listen to him._

"_Kairi's coming with us!"_

_Sora reeled back, stunned at the outburst._

_No. You'll lose her. You'll lose her __and__ him. Don't do this, you can stop this._

_Riku looked up at the sphere of darkness hovering in the sky. Pure power crackled in white-blue arcs across the sphere, and the tinted rose- the source of the inverted light- shone like a beacon, luring him in._

"_Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back."_

_You don't know what you're saying. You'll be lost, don't you see that? It's not worth it. It's nothing like you hoped for. It's a nightmare, a horrible nightmare. If you don't stop now, you'll destroy yourself!_

"_But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us."_

_You should have let it._

"_I'm not afraid of the darkness!"_

_Only because you don't know what it holds._

"_Riku…"_

_Then he held out his hand. He looked Sora in the eye, steady and sure, even when the portal of darkness opened under him. The cold inky tendrils curled around his pants, crawling up his body and giving him goose bumps. Sora ran forward to grab him, only to be trapped in a similar cold, moving net. He strained and he pushed, stretching his fingers out to reach him, yet Riku did not move. He was confident they would reach each other. There was no way they could not._

_You think you're invincible. And that will be your downfall._

_His vision darkened, the tendrils of darkness enclosing around him, until everything became pitch black. For a moment, just a moment, he felt their fingertips brush. Until the sparkle of magic appeared between them, and ripped their hands away from each other._

_The keyblade knew that. That's why it left you._

_So Sora remained behind on the dying world, as Riku was sent hurtling into the depths of the darkness, to a world he did not know, which, in a twist of fate, was the world of the very girl that had inspired his dream of leaving his world in the first place._

_It was better off choosing Sora._

"_Wait!"_

_Riku still felt the pull of darkness, still had to peer around an abyss that was pitch black, but through the shadows he saw someone struggling through the darkness._

"_Help me!" she had called, reaching out for him. "Please!"_

_He watched, as little Kiri tried to reach him. She had to be no older than eight, with long hair and glasses. He scoffed._

"_What?" And as he spoke, he became younger, his voice losing its matured resonance as his time wound backwards. "You wanna fight me too?"_

_Kiri stopped, her eyes bright and shining, before she pulled back, disappearing into the shadows and falling to her doom._

_She should have done the same._

So Riku lay awake, staring at his ceiling, as he finally remembered what he had told her all those years ago.

_What? You wanna fight me too_?

It was just the way she looked at him that had bothered him. Her brother had demanded she follow, and she did not move, looking at Riku with that expression hinting that she wanted to say something. It was more of a tease on his part than an actual challenge, a rhetorical comment. It had made her jump and turn swiftly around to retreat. Still, this let him know that her memories were certainly real. Maybe she was not the same 'Kiri' with a heart, but she at least felt she was. And he knew how well _that_ could go over. Even if she did not have a heart, if she were truly a Nobody, that meant a long time ago, there was a little girl named Kiri who had a crush on him, because of a silly fight long ago. Even worse, the dream had reminded him of something else about the whole thing. Something that he should have figured out before, but the connection just. Wasn't. There.

'It's my fault she's like this.'

And to think, all she wanted was his approval. Yet he could not have given her one positive word after all of her effort to reach him. It was so obvious. If anyone else had discovered her, she would have fought them off. She even threatened him, when she thought he was Sora. The moment she saw it was him, she seemed to lose all of her fighting. And somehow that just made it worse. After all, what was more discouraging than having your own hero say your efforts were worthless?

'I have to see her.'

To do… what, exactly? He was not sure. He knew a simple apology would never cut it.

_BEAST_!

It almost made him laugh. It was the worst insult she could try. He had already learned a beast had more heart than he did.

He stood in front of the gate, trying to figure out how to get into the factory without causing property damage. Even when he got over the wall, the door to the factory itself was not something he would be able to unlock, and the windows were closed. Even if he knocked, he doubted she would let him in.

Then again, she had surprised him before.

So when he jumped the wall, he walked around the front to the door. And found the knob turned and the door opened. He stepped through and shut the door behind him.

Then the heartless appeared. He stepped back in surprise. How were they here? The Door should have been closed. Shadows, and Soldiers trapped him in a circle. The fact that they were only minor heartless comforted him. That meant there was nothing here to draw the more dangerous ones. He stood up straight, his mouth pinched in a grim line.

"Looks like I was right all along."

Way to Dawn flashed in his grip, and he rushed forward to cleave them, but found to his annoyance, that they were not as easy to cut through as he remembered. Of course, it had been a while. No doubt they had gotten stronger in that time. He had been careless. Now thanks to his procrastination, they were coming to the Island.

He attacked them with two strikes at a time, thinking that would have been sufficient, yet still they remained. Just how resilient had these things gotten? He cut through them more savagely, dashing across the floor and moving behind the creatures to keep them all in his sights. When he destroyed the last Shadows, he was rewarded with a second round, this time with Neoshadows. There were only three this time, but as Riku learned, that was plenty enough for him to handle. They had gotten faster, and if he focused on one, the other two were more than ready to strike. He suffered from four hits until he defeated them all. He let his keyblade vanish as he rushed through the door.

Kiri whirled around the giant metal pillar on the close side of the conveyer belts, banging and clashing with a ferocity that was hard to measure. He ran up to her, keeping an eye out for other guests, and ignoring Dynimo's barking on the other side.

"You're pretty good at the innocent girl act." He said. "You almost had me convinced."

She had her back to him, so he missed the sudden clench of her grip and the furious leer she sent the metal.

"What can I say?" she spat, and whirled suddenly to bash two rods into the pillar with enough force to shake it. "I've needed to live here like this all year. No better way than to live under the radar."

Riku looked around expectantly. "Well? Aren't you going to bring them in?"

"Bring who in? You mean my cronies?" She finally stopped, and stood straight to look at him. "Think they're hiding in the corners and I'll sic 'em on ya?"

"Something like that."

"You-!" She went rigid and her eyes flashed. "You're impossible!"

The moment she yelled that, the heartless appeared.

"Glad to know you won't keep me in suspense," he said, and Way to Dawn appeared in his grasp. "But don't think this will be enough to stop me."

He swung hard and fast to the ones nearest him. The first two Shadows recoiled and flattened to the floor. He turned and brought up his barrier to reflect a Soldier that had whirled. A tiny burst of seeds hit him from behind, and he whirled and unleashed his Dark Firaga. A Creeper Plant had appeared, but burned almost instantly. The attack visibly damaged the Plant, but it remained standing. He lunged forward, and jumped over the next seed volley and came down with a rapid triple strike that left it in pieces. A Shadow popped up right next to him, and he slashed without a thought.

His mind went blank, growing more distant from the present as adrenaline kicked in and his body reacted accordingly. The black bodies blended together, and the glowing eyes became blurs of movement, more than a way to target. It was like wearing a blindfold again. In this black factory, his sight was all but useless. And they just kept coming. Time was almost impossible to keep, but Riku knew for a fact that this was past his third round.

A yelp of pain distracted him enough to take a hit from a Neoshadow. He turned to see Dynimo under attack. The canine barked and clawed and bit at his attackers, but he was still trapped by the chain, and all the heartless had to do was jump back out of its reach. Riku sprinted to the chain, knocking back the monsters of darkness. He grabbed at the stake imbedded in the floor and yanked. The metal rod moved up an inch, but still remained in the hole in the cement. Riku continued pulling, gritting his teeth as his muscles strained in trying to bring up the thing.

An Air Soldier had appeared, and swooped in to take advantage of his distraction, but Dynimo lunged forward and chomped into the wayward leg. The heartless pumped its wings to stretch out of his reach, and clawed at the dog, but the huge boerboel shook its head savagely and tossed the thing like a ragdoll. It disintegrated mid-arc. Riku silently commended him, before he finally used his head, and swung down the keyblade to break the chain.

Dynimo bounded forward, a torpedo of muscle and teeth. He bowled through the little army, tackling down the little opponents, and grabbing a hold of the taller ones with his maw. Riku came up behind and went for the opponents that had evaded the dog. They worked in tandem, and suddenly the heartless were much easier to handle. They plowed through them easily, until the last Creeper Plant was taken care of. The pair stood there, heaving after the work out. Riku looked down at the boerboel looking around the factory, apparently still on the alert. He rubbed between his ears.

"Good boy."

The dog looked up at him, growling warningly and Riku released him. Then he looked sharply to something behind Riku. He barked suddenly, before charging. Riku looked after him, seeing Kiri's frozen profile, still standing there and looking to the front door. The canine was going right for her.

"Wait-"

"Dynimo!"

The voice froze both Dynimo and Riku. The dog and boy turned to look toward the back of the factory. Dynimo lowered on his haunches and growled warningly, while Riku clenched the hilt of his weapon.

"Impossible," Riku murmured, with a touch of accusation. "How did you come in here without me noticing?"

Silence was his answer. The black hooded figure stepped forward to approach them.

* * *

><p>OMG THE GAME IS COMING OUT ON THE 31ST! Who's excited? I'm excited!<p>

Okay, in all seriousness, I want to take this time to address something with you all:

Given that the game is going to come out in a couple weeks, everyone (even future readers) will realize this piece is dated. I've been planning and reworking this story for over a year now (might be about a year and a half now...). No, I am not exaggerating. I realized it over the summer when I was considering it. So much time has passed and it's only until now that I'm finally satisfied with how it's going enough to actually start posting.

That being said: I have not played the game, I don't know what content is in it. I'm playing the characters as best I can from what previous knowledge has been given me. That means that even if we learn something new about one of the keyblade wielders and their personalities *cough* Riku *cough* That will not affect how I play off this story. Because I want people to remember that this takes place right before all this happens, which means they're all still stuck on this island until Mickey picks them up for their test. As a result, what they're thinking and the actions they take will be, understandably, different than however Dream, Drop, Distance portrays them. BUT I'm still a huge advocate for following canon. So you'll have to trust me when I say that everything that plays out here will eventually be brought back into proper characterization for 3D. Why I'm doing that will make itself known soon enough.

So, I said what I needed. See you next chapter!


	12. A Questionable Threat

Dynimo released a warning snarl into the shadows. The black-cloaked figure crouched down, beckoning him closer. He approached quickly, but did not charge. He jumped over the belts, and trotted up to sniff at an offered hand. He stopped growling immediately, and straightened up. The figure rubbed briefly between his ears, and the pooch relaxed and lolled its tongue in a lazy grin. The figure pointed, and Dynimo obediently trotted to the stake. The figure's pointing finger went to the ground, and rose slowly in an odd pattern. And Riku watched in surprise when both chain ends lifted from the very ground and twisted in a way he assumed melded them together. Dynimo merely lied down and placed his head over his crossed paws.

"Just who are you?" Riku asked. "What are you doing here?"

The figure still said nothing. He went around the conveyor belts, not even looking at Riku. He did not even walk. He was gliding near the floor but not touching, making not a sound as he approached Kiri. He was giant towering almost three heads over Riku, though he was slender and moved with a fluidity that belied his size.

"You smell like the darkness. And you can approach someone undetected." Riku realized, and his lips curled down. "It's you, isn't it? _You're_ the one that's been using the Corridors. Tell me what you're doing here."

He still said nothing, though once he reached Kiri he raised his hands slightly in a placating gesture

"I asked you a question." He pointed his keyblade. "Answer me."

The figure stopped. He turned slowly and regarded Riku. Then he reached out with the obvious intent of taking Kiri's arm, but a bright barrier suddenly shimmered around the girl before the gloved hand came close, throwing back the figure in surprise. In the time it took the figure to look at his hand, Riku rushed forward and kept him at bay with a warning slash. The body flung back almost like a ragdoll to avoid the hit. Riku took a readying stance in front of Kiri as the figure came to a stop.

"You gonna stand there all day?" He said over his shoulder. "Or are you going to explain to me just what the heck is going on?"

She still had not moved. What was odd was that her expression had not moved from her furious glower when she had been talking to him. Actually, she had not moved since this whole thing started. It was reminiscent of when the virtual Twilight Town froze, and all of its occupants were stuck in a stationary limbo.

"Kiri?" Riku tried cautiously.

He stretched his free hand to try to reach her, and it managed to come to come close without activating the mysterious barrier. Her skin darkened, and her image seemed to waver oddly. He paused in confusion.

"Kiri?" Riku tried again.

"DON'T!"

The figure's arm shot out, and a web of threads spiraled from under the sleeve. It caught Riku's wrist, and he grunted when they suddenly yanked his to the side, sliding him back, far out of reach from Kiri. He glared at the wire tightening into a thin cuff around his wrist, and tensed his muscles as he tried push from the floor. He directed his glare at the hooded figure nearing Kiri.

"Leave her alone." he barked, and pointed his keyblade at him.

The figure stopped and turned to face him. "Well, aren't you protective?" rhetorically asked a feminine voice. "How lucky she has a kind, thoughtful, knight in shining armor to look after her. Unfortunately for you, you're the only real danger to her."

She was still too close to Kiri. He had to get within better range.

"You're talkative all of a sudden," he spat.

"What can I say? Things change."

"I guess that means you're the one that's going to protect her from me, right," he asked sardonically.

"Obviously, since you seem so bent on destroying her."

"I'm not trying to _destroy_ her."

"Oh? Could have fooled me. You were pretty vocal about getting her off before. And if there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that you'll do anything to get what you want."

He leered in suspicion. "Have you been watching us?"

"Sort of. See, I've been here for a while, so I've been lucky enough to witness everything as it unfolded. The pillar, the encounter, the night you discovered us… even the night that you came back."

He clenched his jaw and practically growled. "A while, huh? Who are you?"

"Me? I'm nobody. Nobody you should concern yourself with, anyway. You're a real pain, you know that?" she said in exasperation. "I thought Sora was the one who go involved in everyone's business, but I guess you two share that in common."

"What does Sora have to do with this?"

"_Nothing_, that's what I'm saying. I'm out here just minding my own business, and of all people, _you_ waltz in and try to stir up trouble."

"_I_ stir up trouble? I'm not the one who opened the Door and lured the heartless."

"Is that what you're worried about? Relax, your Door is still closed. The heartless were only here because I brought them through the backdoor."

"Why would you do something like that?"

"To test her." And here, the figure approached Kiri.

"Test her? For what?"

"To see if she can hold her own, of course. I was intending to take her off the Island."

"What do you want with Kiri?"

"That's a funny question. Why do you care? You don't concern yourself with her. Not if your past actions have said anything about it."

"You're wearing the coat, and I'm not, that's good enough reason for me. Unless I see your face and know your motives, I'm not going to let her fall into your hands."

"My, my, you certainly _are_ defensive of her now, aren't you? What changed, I wonder. I hope it's not actually the coat. I need protection. My mode of travel doesn't exactly come with benefits, you know. Something I'm sure you know better than anyone else." The figure faced him and put one hand on her hip and pointed at him. "Now that I _know_ I have your attention, we can really talk. But I'd rather you take down your keyblade. Unless you want me to restrain that arm too, but that would look bad on my record. I'm already losing points for this."

Riku had gone back to yanking on his trapped arm. "I'd like to keep this, thanks."

"My, you're a stubborn one. Suit yourself."

The figure threw out her arm to release a second wire. Riku slashed and hacked at the approaching thread, but could only keep up the attack for so long before it slithered past his guard. It caught his wrist and yanked it to the side. He grunted as both cuffs pulled, stretching his arms until he felt the strain from his shoulders and brought his blade uselessly out of reach.

"There's a good lad." She stepped up to meet with him. "Isn't it nicer to chat like this without the violence?"

He glowered from his position, but said nothing, already feeling his heart begin to race.

"Glad to hear. So, the first thing I think I need to tell you: Kiri is _not_ a Nobody."

"That's impossible," but his statement lacked conviction, and his next one was defensive. "She wasn't complete when the Islands were restored. She told me herself she didn't have a heart."

"You have that half right. I'm sure the power didn't seem "human" either, did it? But let me as you something: did she _really_ tell you that? Or did you just talk her into that?"

"She said," and then he stopped as he thought back. "That she didn't have one… "like mine"."

"So you took that to mean she didn't have one at all. And somehow convinced her that everything that she's been feeling this past year has been nothing but an illusion. A trick that she somehow used to make herself feel human. And, as a result, has been taking in more and more of the darkness that you've so _valiantly_ tried to fight against. Smooth, genius."

He was quiet, trying to still the tremors in his body before finally speaking. "Then, she…?"

"Definitely has one. Not only that, she doesn't even function normally, like a Nobody would. She's not human, but she definitely has a heart."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"To tell you that if you go after her, you're fighting an innocent girl. Her only crime has been trespassing, and you completely destroyed what little hope she had left to hold on to for her home and family," she replied as a matter-of-factly.

He winced. It was a slight movement, but one he still felt more strongly because of the wire. Was it really as bad as it was made out to be? Sure, maybe she admired him, but it was not like they even knew each other before. She could not really have so much riding on him. That was ridiculous.

_BEAST_!

Completely impossible. His palms started sweating, and his breathing hitched, like inhaling through a gag. His gaze darted from his arms to the figure, still pulling, but steadily and discreetly.

"Which is good business for both of us, though." The female figure shrugged. "She was pretty intent on staying here, but now that she's more eager to leave, she won't put up as much of a fight. I get what I want, you get her off your precious island, it's a win-win situation. At least, that's how it was supposed to go. But apparently, that's not even an option. Now, if I could take her with me, I would, but I can't really risk that anymore, so as much as it pains me to do this, I'll have to trust you don't kill her while I try to figure this out, and fix this little mishap."

Would she kill him to guarantee that? His heart drummed harder, and he pushed backwards more insistently, but his leg strength was only enough to push him back, not budge the floating manacles. Trapped.

'Stay calm,' he told himself. 'Stay calm, if I keep her talking, I can distract her. How?'

He looked to Kiri, but here in the dark, he could only make out a dark outline of her form. Get what she wanted. What did she want from Kiri? She treated the girl like some prize.

"Why can't you take her with you now?"

"Because right now, she could be discovered for what she really is. And if the wrong people discover that, it could lead to a catastrophe that makes Xehanort's experiments look like child's play. This is the safest place for her."

An exaggeration. Nothing could surpass Xehanort's delving into the darkness of people's hearts. It was what had started this whole affair in the first place. He played along anyway.

"Is that so? If that's the case, then how do you expect me to trust you with her?"

The figure stared, then glanced down, then leaned over with her hand on her hip. "Well, you got me there. I don't really have any proof to convince you."

"Just what is she?"

"If I told you, I can guarantee you wouldn't believe me. Given what you've seen and heard, that might be hard to swallow, but trust me when I say she blows everything else out of the water. _I_ almost couldn't believe it at first."

He looked up with more resolve, just managing to keep the desperation out of his voice. "Then at least explain to me what's going on," he said breathlessly. "What happened? Why is she reacting like that?"

There was a thick silence, and Riku waited impatiently, trying to still his legs, but unable to stop the quaking. The figure tilted her head slightly.

"You know, this would be easier if you just relaxed for a minute. While I'm glad you're taking me seriously, I can hold you in there all day. And really, it's not like I'm threatening to hurt you at the moment. No need to be so scared."

He stopped pulling and glared. "I am _not_ scared."

"Really? You seem a little… distressed." She said slowly.

"I'm fine," he growled. "Answer the question."

"To be honest, I don't know." The figure turned as she studied the still girl. "My first assumption would be the heartless triggering her dormant power. Except it shouldn't be activating on its own, unless she somehow tapped into it. No, that's not right, the result wouldn't be so static. By itself, it can't activate on its own. Heartless shouldn't be able to sense it. The power would still need a conduit, but the only real conduit is a connection with a… of _course_. _You_!" she whirled suddenly. "Your power, the first night, you released your power that night on the shore, and she reacted! And why wouldn't she, with the strong affiliation of darkness?" The figure started gesturing impatiently, not even looking to Riku, but her concentration on the manacles never wavered. "To react to you would be natural, that's why the signatures were the same! It's about the connections, it's _always_ the connections! It's not a conduit so much as a change in signal- no, not signal, wavelengths, and their colliding in reaction to the darkness. Except she should shy away from the light, but Kairi is the strongest. Why? There has to be some other piece. For the love of Pete, Xemnas, why do you have to make everything so _complicated_?"

"Wait a second," Riku interrupted. "What's this about signatures? Kiri mentioned that too. Why is Kairi involved?"

The figure flew up to him in an instant, and leaned over imposingly. A lump caught in Riku's throat, and his eyes went wide. Suddenly he felt something cold and thin against his neck, he could do nothing as a third wire wrapped about his throat.

"Now you listen to me very closely, little boy. I'm going to need to leave for a little while, because there is something my friends and I need to look into that's very, _very _important. But I need a proper guarantee that she'll still be alive and well while I'm gone. Because I swear, if she's not," the cloak got closer and leaned over his face as she whispered darkly. "I'll make the Realm of Darkness seem like a paradise when I'm through with you. All you have to do is promise me one thing:"

Riku stared back, his wide eyes unable to discern more than a chin and mouth through the hood. The wire around his neck wrapped a few more times to spiral around his neck, and the figure grabbed the ends of the wire. It tightened the metal noose, cutting into his skin. He started feeling dizzy as he hyperventilated, yet could not bring himself back under control. He could feel it start to press dangerously into his windpipe and vertebrae. Her lips curved around each word as she pulled her face within kissing distance, and her very breath held the essence of venom.

"Don't. _Touch_. Her. Are we both _perfectly_ clear?"

He had stopped breathing, and his vision started to grow dark. He could not clearly breathe out his answer. It came out as more of a growled whisper.

"_Crystal_."

"Good. Because I cannot _begin_ to tell you how tempted I am to pull this thing right now." She released the wire, and it slowly unwound. "Funny. I thought it would have taken more than that to convince you. Guess you're not as fearless as you make yourself out to be."

Riku said nothing, standing on wobbly legs as he panted. Despite the release of pressure on his neck, his terror did not die down, and he prayed for release as his arms remained outstretched. The figure held out her wrist as the wire returned to its mistress, and she looked to the blade he still kept in his grip. It emanated a peculiar purple aura.

"Hey," she said warningly and stepped back. "Just what are you trying to-"

A bang against her back knocked the figure to the floor. The wires went limp, and Riku fell to his knees. He put a hand over his still racing heart, thanking his fortune, luck, mercy, whatever positive force he could think of that the ordeal was over. To the side, Dynimo howled and bellowed up a storm, but the chain kept him trapped. With trembling fingers, Riku pulled off the loose wire, and looked up to express his gratitude.

But he stopped, because he was looking at something that was not much more than a vaguely humanoid shaped cloud of darkness.

"Kiri?"

The cloud launched forward with raised weapons. The figure jumped from her crouch in time to avoid another swing. Kiri went into a flurry, keeping the figure on the defensive, and Riku struggled to get his limbs and lungs back under control as he stood. He could not believe he had lost his head like that. This was infuriating and shameful in so many ways. What was _wrong_ with him?

"Take down your keyblade!" The figure shouted as she kept back.

"And leave myself wide open in this position?" he shouted back.

"You're disintegrating her form, you bloody git! Take down your weapon before I cut off your noggin to save her!"

It was as Riku was staring at the strange mass of darkness he knew to be Kiri that he saw something that compelled him to follow the figure's suggestion. There, hidden in the swirls and tendrils of ebony, was a faint, but unmistakable glow.

She obviously was not human.

But there, buried somewhere in a confusing mass of shadows, was a twinkle of light.

He let his keyblade vanish.

Kiri stopped her assault as suddenly as she started it. It was strange since the mass was mostly shapeless, but both people watching could tell it was still turning. Turning until it faced Riku. He watched her cautiously, but besides standing upright, she made no other moves. The darkness seemed to converge back into a more solid form. He heaved to get his breath back, and the wire curled up from around him and returned to its mistress. It coiled under the sleeve to presumably wrap around her wrist.

"I'm glad we had this chat," she said amiably. "Knew I could count on you."

He did not move from his crouched position as he looked up.

"I probably do need to clarify something, though," the figure continued easily. "I wasn't kidding about not touching her. At this point, I have no idea what it will take to actually trigger that state. The keyblade seems to be a pretty powerful factor, but it might have weakened her resistance. As a result, I'm uneasy to even have her near you, or the other two. So let's keep it simple, and avoid close proximity for a while, all right?"

"Basically, you're saying stay away from her. Sora and Kairi too."

"Pretty much."

"If you can't tell me anything, at least answer me this:" he stood. "Why are you so intent on having her? Where do _your_ intentions really lie?"

"That's my own business."

"You're leaving her on my Island and expecting me to look the other way. This _is_ my business."

"I'm leaving her on _her_ island and expecting you to leave her alone. Look, let me straighten away something right now: you don't have anything to worry about from us. We're not interested in world domination, collecting hearts, creating more heartless, commanding the Nobodies, or whatever. We're just going on our own little way. And from what my sources tell me, you and your friends already have more problems that are going to need addressing soon. Am I right?"

Riku leered. Just how much did this woman know?

"All I want to do is take away one girl, and she's already been damaged beyond repair, no thanks to me. She certainly doesn't belong here anymore. Think of me as someone who's just cleaning out the darkness. We certainly don't want any to be tainting this place and putting it in more danger, do we?"

Riku's leer faltered, and he watched the form of darkness converging into a more solid human shape. No. It certainly was not _her_ fault she was like this.

"So really, save yourself some trouble and forget about us and everything you saw here. It'll just give you sleepless nights and headaches in the long run.

"And how can I be sure you're not going to lead this to the very catastrophe you're supposedly preventing?"

"You don't. You'll just have to trust me."

"Trust you," he huffed in a mockery of a laugh. "You expect me to trust you now? Do I get a name?"

"Not a chance," she laughed sardonically. "I don't need you or your dear friend coming after me. In fact, I'd appreciate if this was kept between us. Don't want to scare them over something they don't need to worry about, right? Doesn't matter anyway. After all, I already told you," The darkness crept up and enveloped the figure as the Corridor took her away. "I'm nobody."


	13. Too Little Too Late

Riku stayed, heaving in the silence of the factory as everything went still. Before his eyes, the darkness slowly regained color. Flesh tones for skin, similar flat tones for the sweater, with brown for hair and boots, and black for shorts. The moment everything finally came together, Kiri blinked. Then she stepped back when she saw him.

"Riku? How did you get in here?"

He blinked. "The door was open. I walked in."

"Not one more step." She stepped back and pointed the barrel ends of her tonfas forward.

He furrowed his brow.

She glowered. "You weren't there a second ago. How'd you get there without me even sensing you?"

"Kiri, I was in here. You were just talking to me."

She looked back and forth between him and the doorway. Whatever had happened must have created a lapse in her memory.

"I didn't mean to startle you. I was coming to see you, but had some unexpected company. Something happened and you froze."

"What the heck kind of explanation is that?"

"…Not a very good one." He admitted slowly, before he declared: "You've been discovered."

She stared at him warily. "What do you mean "discovered"?"

And here, Riku faltered. Why had he told her that? Why was he still here? Why had he not left when he had the chance?

"Someone has been watching you," he said suddenly. "Someone who could be a part of something big. And now they want to try to use you for something, but I don't know what. You'll need to tread with caution from now on."

"_Excuse_ me? Just what do you think I've been doing all this time? No one else besides you has discovered me."

"That's not the case. They found out about you a while ago, but hadn't made their move. They were about to tonight. You… froze, when they appeared, that's why you don't remember. If I hadn't stepped in, you wouldn't be here right now."

"Oh, _really_? And you really expect me to believe that while I was suddenly frozen like a statue, you found it in the goodness of your heart to turn around and save me?"

She watched him expectantly, and he blinked at her dryly skeptical face, before looking down.

"You saved me, too." He murmured.

What had compelled him to say that?

"Now I _know_ you're insane," she barked. "Why on earth would I go out of my way to save _you_?"

He held back a flinch. "I know it sounds strange, but you'll have to trust me on this."

"Trust you?" she said in disbelief. "You expect me to _trust_ you now?"

Riku stared, caught in an awkward trap. Karma had a seriously odd sense of humor.

"Oh, this is just _rich_," she spat. Her mounting fury was obvious as she whipped down her weapons. "You're impossible, you know that? Just what do you take me for?"

Riku blinked, speechless at the sudden onslaught. The reaction actually took him aback. Sure, he understood she was angry at him, and he understood the skepticism, but this was so different than her usual behavior. He must have scared her more than he realized.

"Kiri, I didn't come here to try to hurt you." He held out his hands in a placating offer. "I know I haven't given you the best impression, but I made a mistake. I want to help you."

"Help me?" She repeated incredulously. "Well, that answers my question, then. You must think I'm some kind of raging moron!"

"Of course I don't. I just told you I'm trying to help."

"You want me _dead_!" she finally yelled. She closed the distance as she screamed, taking one step closer with each sentence. "You'd do anything to protect your friends, even if that meant getting _me_ off the island no matter what! You think I haven't figured that out by now? You haven't exactly been subtle about it!"

At the time, he thought she was an enemy, and ripped her to shreds when she thought him a hero. Now, she viewed him as the opposition, right when he needed to protect her. The bitter irony of the situation was not lost on him.

"Kiri…" he sighed softly. "If I could, I would take it back. I just thought you were a—"

"I _know_ what you thought!" She yelled. "You saw what I was and thought I was a threat, and you feared me and what I could do to your friends and family." She blinked quickly, and he saw her lip tremble. "You just wanted to protect them from the demon that plagued the Island at night, before it was too late."

"Kiri, I wasn't thinking all of that. It was your actions that made me wary, not what you were."

"Oh really? Would you have even _bothered_ if you didn't sense the darkness in me?"

And he stopped as he was caught in yet another trap. "…No. I probably wouldn't have."

"Then don't give me that. I don't want to hear it." She looked to her feet, clenching the handles in a white-knuckle grip. "You're saying this because of what I told you, right? You still think I'm that defenseless child from years ago that you couldn't even remember. Of course, pity the poor, helpless, sick girl and protect her from the big scary men to make it all better. You're worse than the others. At least they have the excuse of not knowing what I can do."

"No, it's not that." He said. "I made a mistake. I was trying to keep you from doing something, but I went about it the wrong way. I know that now. I just want to try to make everything better."

"You really want to make everything better? Then get out. Leave me alone so I don't have to see you anymore. I didn't tell you that so you could feel sorry for me. I told you that to try to get you out of my life for good!"

"I told you, I made a mistake. Just calm down a second and listen to me. All I want is another chance."

"Don't you tell me to calm down!" she screamed, and pointed accusingly, "I _gave_ you another chance! You threw it back saying it was a waste of time, and then had the gall to laugh at my face when I told you how I feel!"

He winced at her furious scowl. And then he remembered her light.

"You… told me you didn't have a heart."

"Oh, right, so that makes it totally fine to treat me like trash! I still have a _soul_! Or have you lost yours and forgotten about that? Now you have the nerve to ask me to give you _another_ chance? Is this some sort of ego-boost for you? To try to convince me I need saving so that I can fall head over heels for you again?"

"No, of course not. I'm telling you the truth, there really is someone coming after you, and if I understood right, there are others."

She stared at him, before she lowered her eyes. "Get out."

"Kiri…"

"If there really are people coming for me, then let them come." She twirled her tonfa. "I'm more than ready to take them on. It would be a great stress reliever. Get out before I decide to use you to test my weapons first."

"Kiri, this isn't some joke. These people are dangerous."

"Good thing I'm stronger then I look."

"You _froze_ the second they appeared; you won't even be able to fight them."

"They're the reason I can!" She shot back. "You don't think I've been preparing for this? Hate to break it to you, but your little hero routine isn't something I need. Even if you are telling the truth, I'm definitely not stupid enough to accept _your_ help. I'll save myself." She turned away from him, keeping her weapons up at the ready, but pointedly turning her back on him. "Now _leave me alone_. I've wasted enough tears over you."

And Riku went silent, because there was nothing he could say to refute that. He looked down, her anger something that he knew he deserved but still hard to take. The mysterious figure had talked about "convincing" her. Then she had contact with them before. She knew who they were, yet she seemed to feel he was the only one who discovered her. Which was it? He was confused just thinking about it. Maybe he read into the situation wrong.

Again.

Now there was no chance he would ever get answers. Maybe this was one endeavor that really was just best left alone.

"…I guess it's too late to apologize, then."

She spun to smash his nose, whipping him back before he could react.

"You're right. I picked the _worst_ role model."

_ Sora paced in agitation around his room. Ignoring the new clothes strewn across his floor, not one bit of his place had been touched, not even the old toys still on the floor. (Although at one point, when he had been out with his parents, he had an inexplicable and overwhelming urge to buying a revolving fish lampshade. His parents were a little amused, but did not demand an explanation, which was perfect since he could not have given one if he tried. It glowed on the nightstand next to his bed.) He finally gave up and raced down the stairs, punching in Riku's number without even needing to think about it. He bounced his heel, as the phone rang in his ear. And he almost jumped for joy when the click of the receiver finally cut it short.

"Hello?"

"Finally!" Sora yelled. "Do you enjoy torturing people, or what? Because seriously, I'm about to blow a gasket over here! Quit putting me in suspense already and tell me how it went!"

There was a silence on the other end, aggravating Sora to no end. He was seriously considering yelling again.

"Well, good morning to you too, Sora. I see you're as energetic as ever."

Sora blinked, obviously confused at the odd answer. "Thanks?"

"Tell me, are your parents doing all right? I haven't talked to your mom in a while."

And then it hit him. He groaned and dropped his face in his hand. "You're not Riku, are you?"

"Afraid not," and the words were tinged with amusement. "Last I checked, he was still sleeping. Want me to get him? Seems rather urgent."

"…Yes please."

Sora plopped down on his couch, ignoring his parent's stares as he waited for the other line to come up. It took a while, in his opinion, but that might have been more due to the fact that he was absolutely embarrassed beyond belief. He felt a little relief when he heard the sound of the phone being picked up again.

"This had better be really important," came the grumpy greeting.

Yep, definitely Riku this time. "Can you tell your dad I'm sorry?" He said dolefully.

There was a silence again, but it was brief. "You force my dad to wake me up, just to have me tell him you're sorry?"

"You guys sound even more alike over the phone," Sora whined. "I thought he was you."

Riku decided not to press, and sighed. "Dad, Sora says he's sorry," he called over his shoulder. There was another pause before he came back. "He says he forgives you, but next time, ask for the person you're looking for before you start yelling at him."

"Will do."

"So what do you want? And you better not start yelling at me, because I'm about to throw this phone against the wall."

Sora blinked. "Sheesh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I wanted," he glanced across the room and lowered his voice. "To know what happened last night."

Riku lowered his own voice in response. "And this couldn't wait?"

"I was worried!"

"Worried? What _for_? What did you think could happen?"

"I don't know, that's why I called! She was crying and ran off the second she saw us in front of her house!"

"…What were you doing in front of Kiri's house?"

Sora sighed. "Selphie and Kairi insisted on waiting with Cherryll outside."

"I'm guessing Kairi's on the war path."

"Well, sort of, yeah. Look, point is, something obviously happened and whatever it was affected you too. You were _sleeping_ just now!"

"Is that a crime?"

"It's ten 'oclock!"

"So?"

"Riku, you wake up at _dawn_."

"So do you, what's your point?"

"No, I wake up early, but the sun is always up. You wake up when it's still dark out. Seriously, how much sleep do you get at night?"

"Did you call just to criticize my sleeping habits?"

"Haven't you been listening? You've slept in for more than three hours, which meant you've been up late, which means you went out to see her again! Admit it, you probably went out to meet her after we all went home, didn't you?"

Riku felt his resolve crumbling. He already figured that out? How much had Roxas told him?

"Why do you assume it's her? Maybe I was doing other stuff last night."

"Like _what_?"

"I dunno, _studying_, maybe?

Sora burst out laughing. "Since when've you ever put that much effort in _studying_?"

Well, he had a point.

"What happened? Were you at the factory again?"

From the sounds of it, Roxas had not said anything to Sora. Come to think of it, why had the two Nobodies appeared in the first place? Probably because he had made such a big deal out of it.

"Call Kairi to pick you up. I'll meet you guys at the dock. There's something I have to tell you."

"On my way." Then he faltered. "Wait, why don't _you_ just pick me up? You're right across the street. The mayor might not even let her out of the house by herself."

There was another brief pause. And Riku's low answer steadily increased volume as he seethed. "Because I've had a really long, _really_ rough night, you just woke me up from three hours of sleep, and the second I see you, it's going to take all of my self control not to _punch you in the __face_."

Sora sat quietly, gauging the reaction, and the urgency of this matter. "You know, this could wait until tomorrow."

"I'm surprised you actually had a good idea for once."

"I'll let that slide this time. See ya."

Riku hung up instantly, and plopped the phone onto the receiver before turning around with the full intention of trudging back to his room and going back to sleep. Only to come face to face with his father.

Despite the fact that they apparently sounded alike over the phone, there was not very much of a resemblance. The man had platinum blonde hair while he was platinum silver, and his face was a little more chiseled with a stronger jaw, as opposed to Riku's more delicate features. Even their eyes were different. Similar in shape, but brown. Riku had been told before that they had similar expressions though, which was peculiar, considering the lack of resemblance. But the truth was hard to be determined at the moment, since the man had one eyebrow raised in wary surprise, and Riku was just frozen as he was caught. And tried to figure out how to explain this.

"…Bad morning?" the man asked.

Riku said nothing, but his blush spoke enough for him. The man looked at him, then to the phone.

"I'm guessing this means you won't want breakfast, then?"

"…Not really, no."

He nodded slowly. "Duly noted," he said before walking back around.

Riku was still for another moment, before hanging his head and going back to his domain. The moment he closed his door, he crawled into his bed, and pulled the covers up to hide away from the sunlight.

The middle school hallways were empty early Monday morning. Kiri strolled along, her eyes heavy and hard as she looked to the floor, but the wringing of her bag handle gave away the turmoil inside. Even as the three signals approached, she picked up her feet and kept walking. She did not even look at them when they all reached the corner, and had the full intention of walking right by without saying anything.

"Oh, uh, morning, Kiri."

Sora she could easily ignore.

"Um, how was your day yesterday?"

She could not ignore Kairi without feeling bad, but she could still do it.

"Sleep well?"

She froze, just into the doorway. There was no visible change in her expression as she warred with herself, until she reached her conclusion and turned around to face them.

"Good morning everyone," she greeted. "I feel pretty good. It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?"

"Oh." Kairi blinked, then smiled back, "I was worried, you seemed upset last time I saw you."

"Did I? You shouldn't worry about it. I'm a little moody sometimes, don't let it bother you. I'm afraid I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, though. I'm still a little thrown off from Saturday."

"That's too bad," Kairi said sympathetically. "Hopefully you'll get more rest tonight. I was worried when you ran off like that suddenly."

"Don't be. I'm perfectly fine. In fact," she smiled brightly. "I've never felt better."

"That's good," Sora had a strained smile. "I'm really glad to hear that."

"I have a lot of fun plans for this week, actually. Saturday inspired me to get more involved in my hobbies. Oh, that reminds me! Kairi," She stepped forward, and for the first time, she was smiling as though she were about to laugh. "I never knew you were an artist."

Kairi jumped, and laughed a bit to herself. "Oh no, I'm not an artist. I just started drawing recently. It kind of came up unexpectedly."

"Well, _I_ certainly didn't expect it," Kiri smiled. "I'm flattered, actually. If you ever need a model again, I'd be more than happy to help you. I know how to hold a position for a while. You're still learning how to draw people, right?"

The girl stared. "Yeah, but… really? Would you?"

"Of course. I know someone else who draws, and I guess you could say he trained me," she giggled. "He always yelled if I moved even a tiny bit. I don't mind though. It's fun to see the finished piece."

Kairi blushed and waved her hands in denial. "Oh, no, I couldn't ask that. I just like to draw a bit every now and then."

"But you're good, and I don't mind helping," Kiri said. "What do you use?"

She shrugged a little bashfully. "Like I said, nothing special. Just colored pencils."

"That's funny. He likes inks and colored pencils." Kiri smiled. "Because they're colorful, but not too messy right?"

Kairi blinked a little in surprise, before she smiled in relief. "Yes. And they're easy to use."

"If you get ones with good pigment."

"And if you have good paper," Kairi laughed.

"I can imagine," Kiri grinned. "Hey, can you show me some of your drawings?"

"They're nothing special, mostly just doodles off to the side of my notes."

"That's fine. We all have to start somewhere. And I bet they're still fun to look at. Can I see them someday? Please?" she pleaded with a squeaky voice, with her wide, doe-brown eye begging.

Kairi could not help but giggle. "Okay, I'll consider it."

Riku stared, the surprise on his face more than visible. She had to be joking. She was willing to punch him, and then turn around and act like this to Kairi? Sora stared at Kairi, looking like he was trying to be angry, but his face coming across as more petulant than anything. Kairi smiled and shrugged sheepishly in response.

"Great!" Kiri straightened and spun on her heel. "Just say when you need me, all right?"

"I will. Thank you, Kiri."

"No problem. I'll see you guys later."

"Kiri."

She stopped before she stepped into her classroom. She and the others turned to look at Riku.

"Are you… really all right?" He asked carefully. "From how you were feeling, I thought you'd be more upset today."

"Didn't I tell you? I've never felt better."

"I want to know if that's the truth, or if you're just saying that."

Kiri was not the only one who watched him as he spoke, but no one said a word. She was quiet, and her face was searching, guarded as she looked up under her lashes, but Riku did not feel the pierce of her soul-searching stare, and so looked back evenly.

"I won't lie," she finally said carefully. "I really was upset, but I guess I bounce back faster than I thought. I'm a little upset that Saturday didn't go so well, but I won't let that deter me from having a good time. I don't want to give up."

"That so?" Riku sent his eyes to the floor. "I guess it's a good thing you're so determined, then."

"I guess so," she agreed, but her eye was still hard.

She rocked back, and stepped around until she was facing him. She swept to fall under his gaze, jutting out her chin as she leaned in just inches from him. He stiffened as he looked at her, but did not back away, keeping them in a close bound stalemate. The onlookers watched, mystified and intrigued at the display. Kiri smirked.

"We might not see each other much during the week, but I'm sure we'll still meet. Especially if we're with everyone on the weekends. I hope we can still be good friends."

In other words, she would keep up pretenses for everyone else. That must have been what she was doing now. Well, Riku could say he was not a stranger to that.

"Yeah. Same here."

"Good. I'm glad." She stepped back, and then tilted her head as she looked in confusion. "Riku, did you change your hair? You face looks different for some reason."

"It does?" Sora asked, and both he and Kairi looked at him to see for themselves.

"Yeah. I think his nose is a little…"

Riku clutched his nose and looked at her in horror. She raised a dainty hand to her mouth and smiled innocently.

"Oops, my mistake. Guess I'm just seeing things." She waved her hand in front of her face as a pointed reminder of her blindness.

He lowered his hand and his stare of horror turned into a glower.

"But you should try to get some sleep, Riku," she cooed. "You seem a little jumpy." She bopped his nose with her finger. "We wouldn't want to worry anyone, would we?"

He grimaced and moved to swat her hand away, but she already leaned back and twirled on her toes.

"See ya later, everyone. Ta-ta for now."

Riku's scowl intensified and his hand clenched around the briefcase handles. Damn it all. Why couldn't she just heed his warning and stay low? She had to insist on doing this the hard way.

"I can't believe you." Sora shook his head in disbelief. "You guys _actually_ got together."

It took Riku a second to understand what Sora was actually saying. When he did, he looked to the obviously deranged boy warily. "_What_?"

"Man, you and Kiri…" Sora breathed. "I never would've guessed."

"Sora, we are _not_ together."

"You're not?"

"No! She just _threatened_ me."

Sora gawked. "That was a _threat_?"

"_Obviously_. Are you blind or what?" Riku scoffed as he rounded the corner and headed off.

Sora waved half heartedly. He scratched his head, before leaning in to murmur to Kairi. "If that's her threatening him, then what does she do when she's _flirting_?"

Kairi pondered this question very seriously for a moment, furrowing her brows and concentrating. She finally shrugged and offered a confused smile. "Who knows. Maybe they're just using code."

"Well I hope I get the translation soon, otherwise I'm going to get _seriously_ confused."

When Kiri entered the empty classroom, she managed to keep her smirk plastered on for a few steps. Yet when she approached her desk, and plopped her bag on the surface, she stopped. In the quiet solitude, she finally let her smile drop. Her eye was heavy again as she released the shaky breath she had been holding, and clenched her trembling hands over the buckle of her bag.

* * *

><p>Alright everyone, I finally hit this "milestone", and I'd like to take this moment to extend my gratitude. I am a firm believer in giving credit where it's due. So I have to come out and say that Kiri was partially inspired by my good friend, Ari-chan. So yes, thank all of Kiri's violent tendencies on her.<p>

...Okay, I'm totally kidding. When I first started writing Kiri, I started thinking of Ari, who has a strong sense of Catholic, Jewish, and South American guilt pounded into her. Which means she apologizes. All the time. Even when things _aren't_ her fault. That particular aspect of Kiri's personality was what I originally based Kiri off of.

And then it grew. It grew so much. And the worst part is? It was not even on purpose.

No, I'm serious, I was writing the fic, and I developed Kiri's personality more, and then when she got more solid and I started actually writing out the events. I'd tell them to Ari, and she'd be all "Ha! I've done that before." And that kept happening again. And again. And again. And THEN She'd go and tell me something she had done or said in the past, and I'd think to myself "Oh jeez, that sounds like something Kiri would say/do."

It got to the point where she finally yelled at me: "YOU TURNED ME INTO AN OC!" Which I wouldn't mind, but I wish I had done it on purpose. I can't tell you exactly which parts of her are similar to Ari, and which are strictly "Kiri" without giving away some of the good parts, just know that they're both still their own person. Just a little overlapping.

So, Ari, like how she turned out?


	14. Reaching an Understanding

**Illusion**** of Memories**

Aaaaand I'm back! With a happier heart, since I learned that I had nothing to worry about! Canon characterization has practically become second nature to me. While I shouldn't say "perfect", I'd say I'm pretty darn close. Hell, at several points I even predicted canon events! …okay, fine, they were usually minor dialogue- but they still count! And I predicted at least two plot points... unintentionally.;

Me: *snort* A stuffed cat? _Really?_ That's the best you can do? Oh wow, suuuuuper dramatic... Weird. Why does this scenario feel so fami- oh wait... *headdesk* You have _got_ to be kidding me...

I am... both mortified and embarrassed. Especially since I laughed at the scene at first, and realized: "Oh wait, I did the same thing, but with _trash"._ BUT it's also a good thing, because that means this is the second time I predicted canon! The first time... had to do with his hair. I wish I was kidding about this, I really do (that's a lie) but I have to tell you the full story once you get to that actual part in the fic. Just keep this in mind for later. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>"Kairi? She'd like to talk to you."<p>

Kairi looked from her notebook to Cherryll, and then to the door. Other students were already in their groups and taking part in conversation as they reveled in their five minute break. The teacher had just left to head back to the office, leaving the room momentarily unattended. From the open door frame, Kiri smiled and gave a little wave, and Kairi did the same before scooting back her chair and walking down the desk aisle to meet her.

"Yes?"

Kiri beckoned her closer and backed out the door. Kairi followed in confusion, and stopped when a book hovered in front of her face.

"Ta-dah!" Kiri sang, and tilted it to hand it over properly. "This is for you! From one artist to another."

Kairi blinked down at it. "But, I thought you said you didn't draw."

"I don't. I told a friend of mine about you, and he insisted that you have it."

"Is this the same friend you mentioned before?"

"Yep." She shrugged with a slightly bemused smile. "He went on and on about how artists have to stick together against the world or some nonsense like that. Anyway, he wanted you to have it."

It was an old tome. The cover was a plain, faded, olive colored fabric that was slightly frayed with years of use. In simple font it read: _Fundamental Anatomy: A Reference for the Artist_. Kairi examined it with sudden interest, but hesitated.

"Oh, I… I don't know, are you sure I should have this?"

"It's fine. He said he didn't need it anymore."

"I see…"

Kairi looked again to the book and noticed Kiri's hands. They were shaking with the slightest of tremors. So the girl was nervous after all, Kairi mused. She placed one hand over Kiri's before she smiled.

"Thank you, Kiri. I appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it." Kiri's smile flickered as she looked at the hand covering hers.

Kairi took the signal and accepted the book. "And tell your friend I said thank you, too. I don't know how to repay him."

"Oh, don't worry. Knowing him, he'll be happy enough if it actually helps you. I would've given it to you before, but it might've led to some awkward questions."

"Awkward?"

"Um, you'll want to open it when you're alone. Trust me on this."

Kairi stared at her, then at the book in her hands in a worried fashion. Just what had she accepted?

"Ah, so, now that I have that out of the way…" Kiri whispered softly. "Um, could I ask you something?"

"I guess…?" She said nervously. Maybe she should be a little more wary of the girl bearing gifts from now on…

"Well, I… just wanted to know something for sure…"

Kairi tilted her head expectantly, but Kiri took another glance around, and leaned in. Kairi did the same, and said nothing when Kiri raised her hand to block her mouth from view as she whispered.

"Can Riku fly?"

Kairi stared, her eyebrows straight up and her mouth open. "…Huh?"

"Never mind," Kiri blushed and turned swiftly around, "forget I said anything."

"No, Kiri, wait," she stepped around in front. "Um, what makes you ask?"

"…No reason," she looked away, pressing her fingers together, "just wondering."

"Oh…" Kairi wondered contemplated the idea of the girl just being sleepy again. "Well, as far as I know, Riku can't fly."

Kiri nodded wordlessly and hung her head as she meekly stepped around. Kairi could not help but feel a little pity for the doleful appearance.

"But Sora can."

Kiri halted. She peered around. She stared. "Sora can fly?"

"Yeah, he can," Kairi thought back to his limitations, and smiled encouragingly. "Well, not exactly. It's more of a "glide," but it's sort of the same, right?"

Kiri stared wordlessly for another few moments. Then she looked to her hands. "Sora can fly."

"Right," Kairi smiled brightly, hoping the repetition was a sign of her taking it in, not still being confused. "So, you were on the right track. Just had the wrong person."

Kiri nodded once. "Thanks, Kairi." She turned swiftly back around.

Kairi waved after her, and smiled a little in bemusement before she went back into her classroom, tucking the old tome into her bag the moment she sat down. Across the hall, Kiri entered her classroom and headed down the row of desks to her own spot in the back.

"Oh, hey Kiri!" Sora greeted good-naturedly when he spotted her. "Welcome back!"

"What did I say about talking to me?"

The answer was short, clipped, and sharp. Her visible eye leered at him, and he and Tidus glanced at each other in confusion. Even the students nearby her were caught by surprise. Yet Sora still hazarded a guess.

"…Um… don't do it?"

"At least your memory isn't completely hopeless." She huffed and turned away.

The spectators blinked after her. Sora reached back into his mind to remember if she had ever actually said that to him. He had just made that up to appease her, but now it seemed like a safe bet to follow. The bell rang suddenly, signaling everyone to return to their seats.

"What's her problem?" Sora asked.

"Don't look at me," Tidus held up his hands in protest, "I haven't got a clue."

"She asked me if you could fly."

The three were at the little island again, changed out of their uniforms and this time next to the cobblestone wall. Riku was against the stone by the stairway, while Kairi stood in front of him, and Sora off to the side of both of them. Kairi looked at him expectantly with her hands on her hips.

"She… wha?" Sora asked.

"…Huh." Riku's lips quirked traitorously. "Guess she _did_ believe it."

"Believed what, exactly?" Kairi asked in suspicion.

Riku looked away shiftily, "I might have led her to believe that I could."

"You _what_?" Sora's jaw dropped.

"I didn't _tell_ her I could," he defended, "I just told her to consider it."

"_Why_?"

"I was mad. I was just having some fun with her."

"Riku, the poor girl was so embarrassed!" Kairi chastised, "I had to tell her Sora could fly just to appease her!"

"You told her _what_?" Sora asked in shock.

"Kairi," Riku glowered as he pushed off from the wall and stood straight. "That "poor girl" broke my nose. _Twice_. I was a little ticked off, so you'll have to forgive me for having a little fun with her."

There was no rebuttal to that, like Riku had figured. Instead, the cries of seagulls and rustle of the waves were the only conversation for a few long seconds. The two stared at him in incomprehension.

"She…huh?" Sora stammered, "…_twice_?"

"Yeah."

"…You sure?"

Riku said nothing. His eyes said everything.

"Er, right, dumb question. But come on, she managed to break it _twice_?"

"She broke it once, healed me, and then broke it again."

Two jaws dropped, in nearly identical expressions, and completely flabbergasted.

"Healed you?" Kairi asked uncertainly. "Just to do it again?"

Disconcertion flickered across Riku's face. "The first time, she… had used a potion from the factory stock. But the way it… smashed…" his voice got a little quieter, "when she healed it, it was crooked…"

Kairi still seemed unsure, and was obviously confused, but Sora's expression slowly turned into a grimace.

"And it didn't heal right because you didn't reset the bone, right?" he asked carefully, "which meant she had to break it again just to get it straight."

Riku sighed. "Right."

"Wait, reset?" Kairi looked between the two, "I don't understand, shouldn't the potion have fixed that?"

"Ah, well, most of the time," Sora scratched the back of his neck, "potions work pretty well, but they don't really heal bone. If a bone is out of place, then you're kind of in trouble. Learned that the hard way when my shoulder popped out of place."

Kairi gasped quietly, and Riku looked at him sympathetically.

"Did you get it back in quick?"

"Well, I was kind of in the middle of a fight when it happened. Thankfully it was just some Nobodies, so Donald and Goofy could handle it. But we still had to wait until we got back to Radiant Garden." Sora smiled a bit in embarrassment. "I just thought I had gotten immune to potions again and that was why it wasn't working. It's a good thing Leon figured it out just from seeing me." He rotated his shoulder. "Good thing he got it back in the first time, too."

"I hear ya. Lucky you." Riku looked down at his leg distastefully. "My femur went out my first time. Had to rely on my other attacks since I couldn't even walk. I only figured it out because of the time I broke my finger."

"Oh yeah," Sora tapped his palm, "forgot about that. Wait, then, did you do it yourself?"

"Unfortunately. Had to do it four times before I got it right."

Sora hissed, "Ouch. I don't envy you. Did you break anything else?"

"A couple fractures, but nothing nearly as bad as that. Everything else was a piece of cake compared to that."

"That's good, at least. Broke my shin once and that was about as bad as it got-"

"Um, guys?" Kairi interrupted. "Could we talk about something else? Please?"

"What?" Sora asked. "We were just talking. I just wanted to know how he-"

"Sora." Riku said swiftly. His eyes were on Kairi as he spoke. "She's right. We should get back on topic. We'll talk about this some other time."

Kairi met his eyes, and looked down quickly to hide her shame. Riku said nothing before turning his attention back to Sora.

"Oh," Sora shrugged, "all right. So, talk away."

Riku leaned back against the wall, left hand in his pocket, but bandage free. "What we were trying to say before was that Kiri made a direct hit, right between my eyes," he tapped the bridge of his nose. "She hit past the cartilage to the bone itself. But since the bone was crooked when she used the potion, it healed wrong. So, in order for it to heal right, the bone had to break again so it could be molded."

"But, if that's the case then she only did it to help," Kairi argued, "you can't blame her for that."

"I would believe that," Riku conceded slightly, "if she didn't look so happy to do it."

Kairi gaped slightly, and tried to imagine the same shy, nervous girl from this morning actually happy to punch someone like that. Sora just looked at him with a mildly confused expression.

"Why'd you _let_ her?"

Riku looked at him in incredulity. "I _didn't_, she caught me by surprise."

"…Twice?"

"I thought she had it out of her system after the first time!"

"Okay, okay, just asking," Sora appeased. "No need to bite my head off."

"It's still hard to believe," Kairi admitted. "She's always been so nice to me. She hasn't tried to hurt anyone before."

"Not in public, anyway." Riku pointed out. "Come and see her at night, and you'll get the full picture. Obviously she's been lying low. She's been acting that way to avoid suspicion."

"Gotcha." Sora nodded. "Okay, back up- how'd you get into the whole conversation of flying anyway?"

Riku went very still. He looked shiftily away before looking resolutely to his shoes.

"Well, it… turns out we don't really have much to worry about from her after all."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember what I told you before? About how the keyblade wouldn't work on the lock to the gate?"

"Yeah, I remember. Oh, did you finally find out why?"

"Yeah. I did."

Unlike a normal person Riku did not leave the factory grounds immediately, despite how much pain she had just subjected him to, because the moment he reached the gate he remembered the most important aspect that had made him so suspicious in the first place. This would be the last chance to ask her. So he banished the phantom pains and waited by the gate. As soon as Kiri exited the building and locked the door behind her, she glowered.

"Why are you still here?"

"I just have a question."

The hands by her side clenched, itching to take out the knife strapped to her thigh under her sweater. "About what?"

He felt the hostility of her approach, his hand forming a fist, and bringing his left hand out of his pocket. "I just want to ask about the lock. I want to know what you did with it."

Kiri halted right in front of him, her body rigid. "I didn't do anything with it. It's always been like that."

His eyes narrowed, boring into her eyes unflinchingly. "But why can it resist the keyblade?"

Neither force wanted to back down. She unconsciously leaned forward and he did the same, neither one daring to instigate, but waiting for the first _hint_ of movement from the enemy. They did not even blink, unable to even _think_ about admitting defeat, and anyone else might have suffocated from the energy sparking angrily between the close proximity of their bodies. Kiri was the first to break the frozen picture, Riku's eyes flicking automatically to her lips as she spoke.

"What's a keyblade?"

For a second he thought she had threatened him. Her voice was low, and it was more of a statement than a question.

"The keyblade. The…" And then his concentration broke, blinking rapidly as his mind processed what just happened. Riku stared at her, but her face only moved fractionally from angry to perplexed. "You really don't know what it is?"

She sniffed and leaned back, the atmosphere relaxed again. "Well, from the name, I'm guessing it's a key that's been sharpened so much it can cut. Though I don't know how much that helps. It's kind of small. It's not even knife size. I guess if you lose everything else, that works." She had already gotten into thought, and then snapped her fingers. "Wait, you can weld it to something! A club or rod or staff. Then you could lunge and puncture someone. Ah, but then we would call it a "keyspear" more than "keyblade". Or keyknife. How big is this key?"

Riku blinked after her little circumventing tangent, looked down at his hands and held them apart. "This long."

She leered at him. "I'm blind, stupid, that doesn't help. Give me measurements."

He scowled. "Excuse me for trying to help. Almost a meter..." he thought back to all the different forms he had seen the mystical weapon take, including his own. "Give or take."

"…Why the _heck_ would you have a key that's over a meter long?"

Riku caught himself from the conversation and dropped his hands. "…Look, it doesn't matter. Point is, you don't know what a keyblade is, but somehow you still managed to make a lock that resists it."

She sighed in irritation. "I already told you. I didn't do anything to it. Look." Kiri walked over to the gate. "It's been faulty for a while. If you don't push it closed all the way," she grabbed the lock firmly and pulled down, "then it won't click shut." It pulled out from the loop with ease. "It looks closed, but it's really not. If you don't believe me, try it yourself."

Riku stared at the lock, his mind finally clicking everything into place. Then he blushed brilliantly when he realized just what had happened.

"Wait a second," Sora interrupted. "The lock didn't… click shut?"

Riku had crossed his arms, but was leaning back, the telltale blush was on his cheeks. "Yeah. It just looked like it was closed, but it wasn't."

"Then, the keyblade didn't work," and Sora grinned when he finally connected the dots, "because it was never locked to begin with!"

Kairi struggled to keep a straight face to try to save Riku's feelings. Sora had no such qualms. He burst out laughing.

"You didn't even bother to check!"

"It hadn't occurred to me, all right?" Riku glowered. "It's not _that_ funny."

"Aw, c'mon, Riku, lighten up! This is priceless!" He gasped and tried to slow down his chortling. "I can't believe she pulled a fast one on you."

"She didn't "pull" anything. Not on purpose, anyway."

"Oh man. If you ever get on my case for anything again, I am _never_ letting this go!" He wiped at his eyes and tried to get his breathing back under control. "Okay okay, I'm fine now. Now I _really_ want to see how you two got into flying."

"Well… it went a little farther than I thought it would…"

"Why are you asking about the front gate, anyway?" Kiri frowned in confusion. "I thought that's how you had been getting in."

He would have answered right away, but already thinking fast, he realized he might need a second option for future emergency situations. "I… ah…" Riku frowned, trying to figure out how to escape this mess, and what on earth any 'emergency situations' could entail.

"How else could you have gotten in without going through the front gate?" She pushed.

He crossed his arms and stared back evenly. "There's lots of ways. Maybe I used a rope to scale the wall. I could have dug a tunnel. You should be a little more creative and try to think outside the box."

"_Really_." Her voice was flat, unimpressed, and frankly irritated. She crossed her arms. "Well, this wall goes underground about a meter and half, so that'd be a lot of digging, and you don't _look_ like you're covered in dirt. And this wall doesn't have anything for a rope to grab a hold of for you to use like that."

Riku wondered about how quickly she was able to come up with those counter points. She sounded like she was pretty familiar with the place. Then again, she had been here for who knew how long.

"So then, Mr. Creative," She continued dryly, "I guess that takes out all your options for 'outside the box'."

Riku decided he did not like her tone of voice. That haughty attitude, that smug drawl- it was frankly pretty aggravating. So he figured she still needed to be knocked down a notch. "Not all of them. I could have flown, too."

Her stare twitched with annoyance. "Very funny."

"No, really, you should consider that as a possibility. You have to look at all your options."

"Sure, except people don't _fly_."

"Sure they do."

"How?"

"With pixie dust."

Her leer turned into incredulity. "Pixie dust? As in, little fairy with wings?"

"Do you know of any other kinds? It has magical properties, you know. Including the ability of flight."

All she could do was stare, stunned that he was actually using this as a valid argument. She got her wits about her again, and waved him off. "Okay, now you're just making fun of me. You think I'm that gullible?"

"You can choose to believe me or not, but its fact. I even saw an elephant fly once."

"What, did he get pixie dust too?"

"No, his ears were just big enough to lift him like wings."

"Now I _know_ you're totally pulling my leg!"

"Totally not," and Riku could not help but smirk. "What, haven't you ever seen an elephant fly?"

Sora burst out laughing again. "You told her about _Dumbo_? Oh man, no wonder she was ticked off."

"I told you, I was mad. Thanks for that, by the way," he grimaced. "If you're going to beat me, can't you at least let me lose with some dignity? You didn't have to hose me down."

"I thought it would help you cool off." Sora said lightly.

Riku kept his leer, clearly not amused.

"Oh relax," Sora waved it off, smiling encouragingly, "it was last year. Besides, it came in handy for you after all, so it worked out."

"Riku, how could you be so mean to her?" Kairi chastised. "That's just not fair."

"Kairi, we _just_ went over this."

"What I want to know," she said suspiciously, "is why she wanted to hit you in the first place."

"I was trying to apologize."

"Apologize for _what_?"

"I thought she was an enemy, before. I wanted to make it up to her and help her."

"I don't see how that could make her mad," Kairi frowned slightly. "Unless you actually _did_ something to her before."

"Uh, guys?" Sora tried, but went unheard.

"I never 'did' anything, I never even touched her."

"Somehow, I find that really hard to believe, considering the way you've been acting."

"The way _I've_ been acting?" he scowled suddenly. "Wait, don't tell me- is there another standard I'm not measuring up to?"

"It's not a question of measuring, it's just common sense!"

"Can't be that common if even I can't figure out what the rules are!"

"GUYS!" Sora stepped forward held his hands up. "Both of you get a _grip_!" He looked between them pleadingly. "We shouldn't be fighting over something like this. Come on, we're all on the same team here."

The two leered at each other before glancing to Sora's beseeching face, and looking away. Only when they were quiet did Sora step back.

"Man, I swear, it's like back when we were kids."

They had nothing to say to refute that. Out of the three of them, Riku and Kairi had always been the most abrasive. Sora had to play peacekeeper more than once.

'The more things change,' Riku thought sullenly.

"Okay, first of all, you _both_ messed up," Sora sighed. "Rule one of being a keybearer: Don't talk about other worlds! Not even on this one! Come on, it's like, the most important rule."

"She's a being tied to the darkness that's hiding herself from everyone on here," Riku muttered. "I don't think we have to worry about that with her."

"Doesn't matter. Just don't tell Donald, or he'll find some way to blame me." He sighed heavily, and dragged his hand down his face. "Okay, second thing, why did you go off on your own like that? Come on, I thought we were in this together. I mean, what if she really was dangerous and you had needed help?"

"I tried that before already, remember? I'm just…" he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "I work better alone. It was just easier to go out when I needed to instead of rounding everyone up."

Kairi glanced over to Sora, and spotted the flinch and uncertainty in his eyes.

"Right," he finally answered. "Got it. Just… be more careful, okay?"

"Don't have to worry anymore. I won't be going out to the factory again."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I definitely overstayed my welcome, if her last words were any indication."

"Very funny! Obviously I'm not going to get any serious answers from you, so hold still while I find that stupid key!"

"Suit yourself," he shrugged, smirk in place, and held his arms up compliantly.

She went for a pat down, searching for any pockets on his vest and his black vest. She moved to his jeans when she didn't find anything, and delved into his pockets. She frowned and reached deeper, trying to find the bottom. She had to lean over and bury her arm up to her elbow. She stopped and pulled out the tiny object she found, and Riku blinked. Huh. He had forgotten that was in there. She felt it carefully with her fingers as she scrutinized it.

"It's a ring," Riku supplied.

"I can see that for myself, thank you," she grumbled.

"You just seemed confused."

"I was just surprised to find that you had jewelry."

_"Armor."_

_"Whatever._ If I want your help, I'll ask for it."

"Your call. Can I have it back now?"

"No, you _may_ not! You're still being searched." She held it in her hand as she went back into the pocket, and pulled out yet another piece. She could tell it was a chain, or some kind of necklace, from the way it draped over her fingers. "How'd I miss this the first time? For the love Pete, you could get lost in here."

"Do you want some help?" Riku asked innocently.

"Shut up!" she barked. "I don't want any more comments from you."

He shrugged lightly, smirk still in place, and kept his arms up. She repeated the motion on the other side, then told him to remove his shoes, and then checked the hem of his socks and jeans. She finally stood back, and glared at him with crossed her arms as he let his arms down.

"Satisfied?"

"No." she snapped. "Now hold still."

He watched her, and his smirk flickered away as she touched his chest. Her fingers seemed to pat the shirt for a moment before following the zipper up to his collar.

"So you're going for a strip search?" He challenged.

"Of course not." she said briskly. "But you might be wearing it around your neck."

True to her word, she just slipped her fingers into the collar of his vest. It seemed like an odd place to consider, but Riku said nothing, holding back his wariness at her possibly lethal proximity. Though he was stone still, watching her warily as her fingers pat around his shoulders, and slid around the bottom of his neck, but they were quick and efficient, giving him little time to worry about it. She turned away with a huff when she found nothing, and he zipped himself up and shoved his shoes back on. Neither said anything for a minute, Riku waiting for the verdict, but she refused to give one.

"…Do you believe me now?"

"You probably picked it somehow and were just playing dumb. Whatever." She held out her hand, and he held his out to catch the items she dropped for him. "Just don't let me catch you around here again. Otherwise I'll sic Dynimo on you and let the workers find you in the morning for trespassing."

"Unless he attacks you first."

"Who asked you? I came here first. _You_ invaded his territory. Now get off my turf before I knock your block off and feed it to the dog."

Riku blinked, still somehow a bit surprised to hear that out of her mouth. The language just seemed so… out of place with her thin frame and perfectly average, girl-next-door face. Yet he said nothing as he heeded her warning and took his leave.

"I'm pretty sure she's secretly a thug," Riku finally said. "It would explain everything pretty well to that point."

Sora broke into snickers, wishing that Tidus had been there to hear that, and as a result, he got some strange looks from the other two.

"_Now_ what's so funny?" Riku demanded.

"Oh, nothing, don't worry about it."

Riku decided not to press, mostly because now he was distracted. Truth be told, there was a last piece of the story that he had decided not to tell Sora and Kairi about. Mainly because it was not important, but also because just thinking about it gave him sour memories. It would have been nice to say that his walking away had been the end of it, but unfortunately, fate was not that kind.

"Wait!" Kiri called. "I forgot something." She hurried to catch up. "I just realized one more place it could be."

Riku stopped despite his better judgment and looked back at her with a mixture of irritation and confusion. Right up until she searched him. Then he jumped in surprise, turning his back away from her with his hands firmly against the seat of his pants.

"Just what are you _doing_?"

"Searching." She crossed her arms and looked at him flatly. "I forgot about those pockets until I saw you walking away."

"Ever hear of personal space?" he retorted. "Maybe you could _warn_ me before trying a stunt like that."

"I figured you'd give an excuse to say no." She turned on her heel and waved a hand breezily over her shoulder as she walked away. "If it bothers you so much, then don't wear pants like those next time."

He watched her casual strut with disbelief. Did she really just make it sound like _his_ fault? He did not turn around until she had gone back through the gate of the factory, and of course he was rigid on his long trek back home. The more he thought about, the more it rubbed him the wrong way, and it was not until he remembered her off-hand comment forever ago about his "gorgeously chiseled physique" that he realized why. He had no way of knowing how much of that little show had been purely "business", and he wanted to kick himself for agreeing so readily. It was not like he owed her anything. He was fuming by the time he made it home, making him so irritable he could not even fall asleep right away. Which only made it worse when Sora called and woke him up.

But that was then, and this was now. With the passage of time to put it in perspective, he could look back on it, and remember the look on her face. Irritated, annoyed, and indifferent, all in one. She was trying to rush him out of there, but making sure she had her answers. She was thorough, but not invasive, and she did not touch him longer than necessary. Honestly, her hands being near his neck bothered him more, because it had been more personal. As odd as it sounded, the fact that it annoyed her to do it made him feel better. But still, that did not mean he wanted to share it.

"So, that's it, then." Sora said. "We figured out the mystery. No more worrying. So case closed, right?"

"Not exactly," Riku admitted quietly. "Sora, you've traveled to a lot of worlds, and as the keybearer, you usually help people, right?"

"Yeah." He laced his hands behind his head. "I've gotten used to it, by now."

"Was there ever a time you had a problem with that? Where maybe people didn't want your help, and you had to convince them?"

"Hm…" He brought his hands back around and held his chin. "Not that I can think of. Most people were pretty eager to accept any help they could get."

"I see."

"Why do you ask?"

Riku did not answer right away. He wondered what good it would do to tell them what he had discovered. Was it worth getting them involved in again? To tell them what had transpired and what it meant for Kiri? Was it even his business anymore?

_Thank you, Riku_.

He looked at their curious and expectant faces, and he decided that if there was even the slightest possibility that she was really in some sort of trouble, then these two would find some way to help her where he had failed. They were his last chance. Riku was careful to tell them all the details that pertained to Kiri herself. This included the heartless appearance, and the conversation he had with the mysterious woman in the coat, and her abilities. He might have glossed over his reaction to her abilities, though.

"Wait, now we have the Organization to worry about too?" Sora said in confusion. "I thought they were gone."

"They _are_ gone," Riku said, "I don't know how she managed to get a hold of a coat, but she's only wearing it to travel through the darkness. Whatever she's a part of; it's something else. And whatever it is, it looks like it just wants to get its hands on Kiri."

It was when he got to the end and tried to describe Kiri's reaction that he got to the actual problem.

"Wait, she…" Sora frowned as he tried to comprehend it, "changed her form with darkness?"

Kairi turned thoughtful. "Can you do that?"

"Ansem the Wise used darkness to disguise himself. Ansem's- Xehanort's heartless- darkness changed me. Used right, it can change someone's appearance."

"So that's not really what she looks like?"

"No. It sort of surprised me, but it wasn't that hard to believe, from what I sensed. Problem is, I couldn't tell what she actually looked like."

"Weird."

"Why are you so surprised? I told you before: if it wasn't for her appearance, I'd never guess she was human. Pay attention next time I try to give you info."

"Well then," Sora said in a matter-of fact voice, and put his hands on his hips. "No helping it, then, looks like we're gonna have to help her, whether she likes it or not."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "You're pretty eager all of a sudden."

"Come on. We're heroes; it's what we do. All right, so maybe we don't get along. But a friend in need is still a friend in need. We can't let her get taken away, after all."

"Huh, so you guys are friends, now." Riku confirmed skeptically.

"Yep. And I do what I can to help my friends."

"Uh-huh," Kairi crossed her arms, "just don't forget about your homework."

Sora balked, "Kairi! How can you talk about homework at a time like this? This is way more important!"

"I know. I just want to make sure you don't use this as an excuse to slack off."

"What? Riku, come on, back me up," Sora pleaded, "It'd be better to focus on Kiri and make sure everything's okay, right?"

Riku shook his head and took a step back, "Oh no, you're not dragging _me_ into this."

"Traitor," Sora pouted, and Kairi stared at him flatly. "I'm gonna go bored out of my mind before this week is even over. At least with her we get all the danger, and mystery, and stuff."

Riku sighed, "Mystery is right. This whole thing is just confusing. She said she wanted to fight them off, but then she said they were the reason she could. Were they her enemies, or her teachers? I couldn't tell. And the way that woman spoke told me that they definitely had met before." He ran a hand through his hair in irritation. "This is frustrating."

"It doesn't have to be." Sora said. "Come on, let's just talk to her and ask."

"Did you already forget the part where she punched me? She's not going to listen to anything I say. Every time she saw me she looked like she wanted to do it again."

Sora winced. "If she punched you, I don't even want to know what she'd do to me. I can't even talk to her without her getting mad. Man," he scratched the back of his head, "and I thought proving myself to the army was a tough sell. This makes that look like a piece of cake."

Riku nodded. "Now you see the problem. I have no idea how to go about this, and I only have myself to blame." He sighed. "If I had gone easy on her and done this in the beginning, she might have listened to me."

"Riku," Kairi said, this time more gently, "what happened?"

"… You were right."

She looked at him in surprise, but he was not looking at her. He was back against the wall, arms crossed and eyes down, and his voice was subdued as he spoke.

"I _did_ do something. She had… opened up to me, but I pretty much threw it back in her face. I messed up pretty bad. That's why she won't listen to me now. She can't trust me. And I don't blame her. But I can't tell you what actually happened. Because she told me things she didn't want other people to know. If you ask her, maybe she'll tell you, but I don't have the right to share it."

There was a gull that cried out suddenly in the distance, and the lapping waves eased across the sand as Kairi mulled it over.

"I could talk to her," she finally said.

Both boys looked at her, a little surprised.

"It wasn't for very long," she continued softly, "but I've had the chance to talk to her a few times. And it was nice. I think, if I try to talk to her, she might listen."

Both boys looked to each other before turning thoughtful.

"That's right," Sora said slowly as he looked at her. "She _was_ always nice to you, huh?"

"I think you have the best chance," Riku agreed, following his line of sight, before smiling a bit. "Thanks, Kairi. We're counting on you."

She smiled back in answer. "Leave it to me."


	15. Paved with Good Intentions

Tuesday, when the bell rang for lunch, the usual crowd of students shot out of their seats, filed through the aisles of their desks, and bumped their way through the doorway into the hall. Kiri tended to wait until the usual rush was gone, since she was never eager to get lunch anyway. So she took her time to slip off her glasses and put them in their proper case. As the last students trickled out, she closed the notebook she had been scribbling in, and in no real hurry, put it away and finally made her way to the door.

"Kiri? Can we talk? Girl to girl?"

Kairi stood to the right of the doorway, and Kiri stopped in surprise. Of course she only knew it was her from the deep red of her hair and the sound of her voice. She had not expected Kairi to talk to her again so soon. She must have been really excited about the book and probably wanted to take her up on her offer.

Amused, Kiri followed; mentally bracing herself for the excitement she figured was to come. "Sure."

Kairi headed farther down the B wing, away from the main office and toward the first year class room with Kiri in tow. The pair stopped at the end of the hall, and when Kairi turned to face her, she did not speak right away. Kairi was still warring with herself on how to bring the topic up gently, yet there was still no idea that came to mind. She figured she might as well cut to the chase, in this case. There was no real way to help it.

"So," Kiri started casually, "what did you want to talk about?"

"The truth is, I want to help you."

"Help me?" She blinked. "With what?"

"With…" Kairi paused, figuring it best to start from the beginning. "Riku told me, about what happened Saturday."

Kiri went from mildly curious, into completely baffled. "You mean… when I walked with him?"

"No, not that. I meant after." She lowered her voice and leaned in. "At the factory."

It was a little surreal, to see the girl's reaction. Her face went from soft puzzlement to a harsh stony guard. Her brown eye bore instantly into violet-blue, and Kairi suddenly felt a prickle along her spine, and revulsion from the eye contact. Sora was right. It was like Kiri was piercing through her guard to look straight into her soul.

"I guess that means Riku's already told you about me, then. Now you're in on it too."

She ignored the feeling, and plowed on. "Of course he has. I've always been a part of this."

"Really?" Kiri glanced down. "That's too bad. I was starting to like you, a little bit."

Despite that it was only a moment, Kairi breathed easier the moment their eyes were no longer locked, and looked at her worriedly. "Kiri, you don't have to be wary of me. The truth is I like you too. And now Riku's told me that you need help, but you won't accept it. That's why I'm talking to you, because you shouldn't have to face this alone."

"I don't want help from him. And I don't want it from you either. Why are you even here? Do you feel sorry for me?"

"It's not that. It's dangerous for you right now. I'm worried about you."

"Don't be. I can handle myself." She turned away from her. "I'm not the weak little girl everyone here thinks I am."

"Kiri, I'm not saying you are. But it never hurts to have help, people you can rely on when you need them. Like what I have with Sora and Riku. I know I can always count on them, and it gives me courage to face the hard things."

Her expression never changed from the stony guard, and her voice was quiet. "That'd be nice. If I had someone I could trust like that. The same way you do."

"And that's why I'm here." Kairi smiled encouragingly. "I want to reach out to you."

"Are you saying I can count on you? Rely on you when I need it most?"

"Yes, you can."

In the silence that followed, Kairi prayed for her to believe her. Kiri was quiet as she mulled these over, but did not look up from the floor. As Kairi watched her profile, she knew it would just take a little more persuasion to gain her trust. She could do it. She could get through to her. She was sure of it.

"Kairi, where were you, those few weeks you were gone?"

Kairi blinked and backtracked. "Well, I…"

"You left the islands didn't you?" She said evenly, and her gaze slid over without turning. "What I want to know is: did you leave because you wanted to? Or because you were _taken_?"

Kairi considered the question. She had a feeling that Kiri was asking for more than she was letting on. "Neither. I ran, to avoid being taken."

"You were chased." Kiri finished softly. "Were you caught, eventually?"

Kairi looked down with slight chagrin. "I was."

"You say I can rely on you, but you can't even rely on yourself." She finally turned her head to face her. "Tell me, just how can I trust _you_ to help me? Can you even _fight_?"

The question almost threw her for a loop. "I'm not as good as Sora or Riku, but I can hold my own."

"Hold your own". You mean, you can at least defend yourself."

"Right."

"You just told me you were _kidnapped_. Please. You'll be so busy looking out for yourself you won't be able to help me."

She winced and looked up quickly. "Wait, I didn't mean like that."

"But isn't that how it is out there? You can't even keep yourself out of danger. What if I _do_ get overwhelmed? What if _I_ need the help? You know what will happen? You'll be destroyed, just to get you out of the way before they come for me. It's no better than being worthless."

"Kiri, I didn't mean to help you with _fighting_." Kairi tried to explain. "Even without a weapon, I can still help. Sometimes, all we need is someone we can talk to. I want to be there for you, emotionally. Sora and Riku will be the ones doing the fighting. I know we all started out badly, but let's have another chance."

Kiri looked at her in surprise, and then turned skeptical. "You're saying they want to help me too?"

"That's right. We all do."

"Liar."

Kairi blinked in shock. "What?"

"_Liar_." Kiri scowled. "There's no chance those two would want to help me. What, did you manage to convince them to go along with it? Nag them? Blackmail?"

"No," Kairi watched her in confusion. How on earth had the girl gathered that? "Riku regrets what he's done. And Sora… Sora's willing to help anyone, no matter what their history."

"Maybe for _your_ sake, but I'm not included in your happy little circle of _friends_. And frankly, _princess_, I don't want to be."

Kairi froze, her mouth agape. 'Princess'?

"You should count yourself lucky. Most girls dream of having a knight in shining armor. But lucky you, you get _two_. You're kind, thoughtful, smart, and so pretty. Anyone would want to protect you. But the rest of us don't get that. I'm not about to believe I have someone, just to get stabbed in the back when I need help most. I've worked too hard to fall into that trap again." She turned and stalked off for the library. "Save yourself some trouble, and stay away from me. Go back to your own happy world, with your precious friends and _protectors_. Wouldn't want them to come after me because something happened to you for my sake."

Kairi watched her, struck speechless as her mind came to terms with what she had just seen. Was that really… the Kiri that Riku had seen at night? It was so different than what she had come to know. It seemed almost impossible. She watched the girl's retreating back and only as her mind recovered from reeling did she remember the other factor.

"Kiri, wait, don't let this get to you. Think about this. This is the darkness affecting you. I know that's not you talking." Kairi had run to catch up to her, and reached out to her shoulder. "Please, let us help you."

"Just what do you know about me!?"

Kairi jumped, but not fast enough to avoid Kiri dropping her bag to grab her wrist and other shoulder and slam it against the wall. The lights behind her eyes and loud _thunk _registered before the pain, but Kairi winced once the back of her head hit the wall and the grip on her wrist went into an iron hold.

"Ow! Kiri, stop, that hurts…"

"_That_ hurts? That's pathetic." Kiri spat. "This is nothing compared to what I go through. I've been beaten and bruised more times than I can count. I've _willingly_ suffered to get to where I am now. What about you?"

Kairi blinked quickly, focusing back on the girl's piercing stare. "Kiri, we're not as different as you think. We have more in common than your realize." Kairi put her free hand on the wrist that was holding her shoulder against the wall. "That's why I want to help."

"I've given blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point. You? What have _you_ done? How can you know what I'm like?" she seethed. "You know _nothing_ about me or what I feel! Your heart is pure light!"

Kairi gasped as she stared. "How… How did…?"

"How could you _possibly_ understand?" The grip on her wrist tightened, "I bet you've never had a shred of darkness in your life, have you? Even when you're feeling your worst, all you feel is a little blue before you get right back up again! You've never had that- that… _constant_ grief plaguing you for every second, and refusing to let go! You've never felt the resentment from knowing you're in a completely different world than everyone around you!" Kiri's single visible eye watered. It was not sadness, but furious tears. Her glower never lessening as she bore into the other girl's innocent blue eyes. "You've never been lost, or _alone_! Do you even know what anger is? What about jealousy? Of course not, you don't have a reason to be jealous of anyone!"

"Kiri, stop, none of this is true!" Kairi pulled her wrist in, but couldn't break her iron-grip hold. "I do know those things. I've been sad! I've been angry! I've even been jealous before! I'm human, just like you!"

Kiri let go. It was sudden, and though Kairi caught herself against the wall her knees were weak and buckled under her.

"Like me, huh? Now you're _insulting_ me." Kiri murmured. She dried her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I've seen your "anger". And sadness. Sorry to tell you this, princess, but those aren't _real_ feelings. Those are shallow."

Kairi held her wrist gingerly, silently wondering to herself about the wisdom of remaining to continue talking with her. Kiri knew she was a princess of heart. Did this change anything? No, it could not. If she was going to let a little bruise like this stop her, she would never get anywhere. She finally looked up to Kiri warily. "You're trying to tell me my emotions are fake?"

"No, I'm not saying that. You're emotions are definitely real. But they're the tip of the iceberg. They're fleeting. Even when you're angry or sad, it's only a little bit. I doubt you've ever really been jealous."

"I told you that's not true." Kairi finally stood straight again. She could not stay down. She had to stay strong. All she needed was to talk. "I know I've felt jealous before."

"Oh yeah? Tell me what happened. What did you do to her?"

Here, Kairi felt a little confused. "Do… "to" her?"

"Right. How much did you want to hurt the person you were jealous of?"

Kairi stared, her eyes wide in surprise. "I never wanted to _hurt_ anyone. I was jealous, not vengeful."

"But that's just it. What you felt was "envy", not jealousy. You don't know what means to be _jealous_. Too want something so much, that you'll come to hate anyone who has it. That you'll _laugh_ to see them suffer, just to make your own pathetic self feel better. You _don't_!" Her eyes flashed, her jaw snapped at lightning speed, and her fists clenched in an unholy fury. "Nothing has taken you down that far, has it? Even when you're angry at someone, you've never wished to see them hurt, have you? You've never fought with your own anger; you've never suffered from your own feelings! You've never felt the hatred I feel just from looking at you! Every time you come _near_ me I feel my own demons growing. I feel uglier just being near you! How can you _possibly_ understand that!?"

Kairi pressed herself into the wall. "Is that… the truth?" She asked softly, and could feel her doubts growing. "Do I… really make you feel like that?"

No, it was not her doubts that were bothering her, it was something else; unease she could not place, a fear she did not understand.

"When someone asks me how I feel about them, do I lie?" It was a rhetorical question, both knew the answer already. She cocked her head, and her bangs moved to the side, both eyes fixed on the cowering girl. "I don't want _you_ of all people saying they'll be there for me "emotionally", when you're the one that makes me feel the worst about myself. It's cruel, don't you think?"

"I'm sorry," Kairi said automatically, and she winced. "I didn't know," she defended weakly. Kiri's gaze never left her, and she looked down, wanting to get away.

"That's what I'm saying." Kiri seethed. "You never could. You're so pure, so good. I'm a thing that can't even be called human. And now _you_, a person who's the exact opposite of _me _wants to say that you'll help me- that you'll _accept_ me? If someone like Riku can't accept me, then how can _you_?"

"Because… I know the darkness itself isn't evil. We all do. But it can take you down the wrong path, if you're not careful. I want to stop you from doing that, before it's too late."

Kiri's eyes were searching, but her lips were tight. "…Amazing. Even after everything I've said, you still only have good things to say."

"I'm not one to hold grudges. And I know you're not really like this. You're scared and angry. But I know you're not bad."

Kiri was quiet for a moment. "Really? How are you so sure?"

"Because… my heart tells me that. And I trust it. I have faith. Kiri, tell me the truth, does your heart really tell you that we can't be trusted?"

"Don't you _dare_ talk to _me_ about following my heart!" Kiri snapped at the innocent girl. Kairi gasped as she flinched. "Faith was the only thing that kept me _sane_ this past year! 'Believe in yourself', is that what you want to say? That I just need to be happy and believe that everything will turn out all right? I already tried that! And what happened to me? I got it thrown back in my face!"

Kairi could say nothing. She shook from head to toe, a deep terror gripping her heart and sending her into a silent tumult as furious brown eyes bore into her.

"My heart betrayed me!" She cried. The anger gave way to borderline hysteria as she raved, and she drew close, making Kairi feel even smaller. "But apparently, everything still gets to work out for you! You get to keep your fairytale ending! How can you look me in the eye and tell me we're the same when you have that!"

Kairi started to hyperventilate, frozen and cringing, wishing desperately to avert her eyes, but unable to move. She could only gape with increasing horror into the black eyes that threatened to split her in two.

Both hands shot toward her, and she cried out and covered her face when Kiri smacked the wall on either side of her head.

"What did I tell you?" Kiri murmured, not lifting her hands as she leered at the shaking girl. "If you can't even stand up to me, you don't have a chance." Kiri finally pushed off the wall, almost limp, and exhausted. "But I can't begin to tell you how good it feels to see you terrified for once. Welcome to my world." She hissed. She stepped back and picked up her bag. "I suggest going back to your own, though, Princess. It's a lot nicer than mine." She turned away and headed back down the hall, her voice mocking though she did not look back. "Don't feel too bad for trying, though. You did your best. But light and darkness never do well to mix."

Kairi did not move from her position against the wall. Not even when the bell rang to signal the end of lunch time. She brought her hands over her pounding heart, trying to get her breath back under control. The kids all meandered back in, with Sora at the forefront to look for the two girls. His search brought him to B wing, but Kiri did not look up at him, and he jogged right past her, not even registering her presence.

"Hey Kairi," Sora greeted. "Why didn't you come outside and- Kairi!" The boy hurried to her and dropped his bag as he took a hold of her shoulders, trying to get her attention on him. "Kairi, hey, are you all right? Come on, look at me."

She was frighteningly pale, her eyes were glazed and sunken in. The moment he touched her shoulder, she winced and looked up at him. She watched the concern in the deep recesses of his eyes, and the rush of relief she felt just from seeing him was almost overwhelming. "Sora..." In an instant she threw her arms around his shoulders.

"Kairi?" He asked unsurely, but held her back without question. "Are you all right?"

She nodded slowly, taking in deep breaths. He was warm, and his steady heartbeat calmed her. "I'm all right, just a little shaken."

"What happened?"

She did not say anything at first, clenching his shirt. "I just… felt it. What you and Riku sensed before about her stare. And to be honest it was scary."

He looked at her in alarm and held her tighter. "Are you okay? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

She looked to her reddening wrist over his shoulder. "No, she didn't. I told you, I'm fine."

"Kairi, you're not fine." He pulled back and gingerly touched her face. "You're white as a sheet. What did she do to you?"

"Nothing, Sora, I told you."

"Let's get you to the nurse, just in case."

"No." She pushed at him and picked up her bag. "I'm fine, Sora, really. I have to get to class," she said quickly before hurrying down the hall.

"Kairi," he called after her, sighing when she turned the corner down the hall. "Man. I'll have to ask her after school. She'll never tell me now."

He looked to the hanging sign over his classroom and groaned, the sign 3-B mocking his impatience.

Inside the classroom, Kiri dropped her bag under her desk and settled into her seat. She brought her hands up and rested her forehead against them. She grimaced, tensing her jaw and hunching over her desk.

"Hey," a classmate to her side murmured, and she could not remember at the moment who it was. "You okay? You're looking kinda green."

"Fine." She muttered back, trying to ignore the pounding from the back of her eyes. "Just a really bad headache."

By the time the school day ended and Sora and Kairi waited outside the school, the incident had been pushed to the back of their heads. Or, it went unmentioned, because Kairi had asked it to be that way. As a result, Riku approached a happily chatting pair. Sora waved to him, and Kairi greeted him with a smile. Riku absently noticed that Kairi had her sleeves loose over her shoulders, instead of rolled like usual, but thought nothing of it. They started the walk home, and Kairi suddenly grew quiet.

"Well, since everyone's here, I guess I should come clean." She smiled nervously. "I couldn't get her to listen to me either. Sorry guys."

"Hey," Sora protested, "don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Right," Riku agreed. "I'm sure you tried your best."

And Kairi could not stop the wince at the mention. "Yeah…"

"He,y Kairi?" Sora asked. "What's wrong? What happened?"

She shook her head slowly, before speaking. "Riku? I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Riku stared at her in confusion. "Kairi, we knew it was a long shot. I'm not blaming you for it."

"Not for that." She sighed. "Ever since you got back, I feel like I haven't been a very good friend to you."

"What?" This time Sora looked in confusion. "Kairi, why would you think that? You've been nothing _but_ a good friend. You've been helping us the whole time."

"I know. But, the thing is, even though I've been _trying_ to help, I feel like I've been doing it the wrong way. I don't think I really understood what was going on. And how it changed him. I feel like I've been unfair to him."

"Kairi," Riku said, "that part of my history is over. I've locked that part away now. Sure, I've changed because of it, but that doesn't mean it still affects me the same way."

"I know, and it's not that. What I mean is… _how_ you've changed because of it. The way you've felt, or what you're going through. Because I've never felt those things, I don't understand them. For the first time, I… feel like my heart is working against me."

The last part was said softly as she stared at the ground. Riku stole a puzzled glance at Sora, but he only shrugged in response, and made a shooing motion, mouthing "go on" emphatically.

"Kairi," Riku said seriously, "that's not something I _want_ you to understand. You don't have to feel that pain. It's not pleasant, and if I could, I would get rid of it. Believe me, it's a blessing that you'll never have to deal with it."

"But Riku, don't you get it?" Kairi looked up at him. "I'm your best friend; I should be able to help you through this! If I can't understand it, how am I supposed to know what you're going through?"

Both Sora and Riku were a little surprised at the burst of emotion with the question. They took one look at each other, then at the distraught girl. Riku watched her, growing slightly suspicious the more he looked into her watering eyes.

"I think I get what's going on here," he finally said carefully. "You're afraid because you don't know me as well as you used to. Right?"

She relented, the guilt almost palpable around her as she glued her eyes to the ground. "We used to know everything about each other. All of us, there wasn't anything we couldn't understand or talk about. But now… now I'm not so sure about you anymore. There are things you do that surprise me. Sometimes when I feel like it shouldn't."

"You think you're the only one?" He smirked in amusement. "I know I gave you a weapon to use, but I didn't exactly expect you to go running into battle like that, let alone be so good at it. Honestly, I was so surprised I didn't know _what_ to do at first."

Kairi smiled despite herself, and he smiled more easily.

"Do you feel that way about Sora?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. Sora's still pretty simple."

"Hey!" He protested. "Don't call me simple! I'm trying to be nice and give you two your needed alone time!"

"How generous of you," Riku said sarcastically as Kairi laughed, "but simple is still simple."

"Jerks!" Sora retorted. "See if I ever stay quiet for _you_ two again!"

This time, Riku laughed too, and Sora joined in when he realized how ridiculous the threat was. It only lasted for a few seconds, but the three instantly felt the relief and freedom the joint laughter brought them, like throwing off the stones that had been weighing them down.

"So then," Riku lightly touched her shoulder, "we clear?"

"Clear," she affirmed with a smile. "Sorry, guess I was just nervous about everything."

"I'm surprised you were. If I really thought that, don't you think I would have said something?"

"That's true. You're not always subtle."

He looked at her in mock-offense. "Okay, _now_ you're insulting me."

She grinned unapologetically and tucked a bit of hair behind her ear.

"Kairi!" Sora said in shock.

"What happened to your wrist?" Riku asked in horror.

Kairi jumped in confusion, and saw her mottled wrist too late. She brought it behind her skirt automatically and cursed her forgetfulness. The other two stopped, forcing her to do the same.

"It's nothing," she hedged. "I… hit it earlier. Just a little clumsy, that's all."

"Let me see that again." Sora held out his hand expectantly.

Kairi battled with herself, before begrudgingly offering her wrist. It was not a faint bruise, but a nasty purple mark that covered her whole wrist. Sora took her forearm in his hand and scrutinized it worriedly.

"Kairi," he practically begged, "why didn't you let me see this before?"

"I just… didn't want you to worry about me, it was my own fault."

"She did this." Riku said softly. His eyes were heavy as he looked at the clear finger and thumb print. "That's why you weren't talking about it, wasn't it?"

Kairi stiffened and Sora looked up in alarm.

"Wait, is this why you were so shaken before?" Sora asked quickly. "Because this happened?"

"No, Sora, I told you, it was her stare," Kairi defended. "It was just scarier than I thought it'd be. That's all."

Riku looked at her seriously. "Kairi, what _happened_?"

"I was… I surprised her, and she struck out at me. It's fine, it's just my wrist," she argued feebly.

"Come on, let's find somewhere private," Sora decided. "I'll heal you before we get back home."

"No, Sora, don't bother, its fine."

"It's not fine. She hurt you!"

"You've had broken bones!" Kairi snapped. "I can handle this just fine!"

Both Sora and Riku stepped back, more shocked than actually hurt. She turned and strut away, not looking back as she took herself home.

"What was _that_ all about?" Sora asked in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Riku kept his eyes on Kairi until she turned the corner, before looking back somberly. "You remember what we were talking about yesterday, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't see what that has to do with today."

"Come on, Sora, think about it. You think she liked hearing all about how much we got hurt over the year?"

"But, Kairi's not squeamish."

"It's not about being squeamish. It's hearing about the people she cares about getting hurt. It's like a reminder of how dangerous it is out there. You remember how you felt when you saw her wrist? Try to imagine if she _broke_ it instead."

Sora winced at the mere mention, and scratched the back of his head as he looked down shamefully.

"Okay. I get your point." He shifted on his feet. "Except now she's mad at us. I guess we should just head home for now and get the full story later."

"You don't believe her either?"

"As if. How could we call ourselves her friends if we couldn't even tell she was lying?"

He smirked as they went back to walking. "Good point."

"I just don't get why Kairi would lie about something like this."

"Who knows? Maybe she's protecting her for some reason."

The silence fell like a palpable rainfall as the statement struck them. Both walkers retreated into their own minds, even Sora remained quiet for a little while. Something that should have made Riku suspicious, but he was too preoccupied to notice.

"Riku? What's the name of that factory Kiri stays at?"

"Viro Metals."

"Viro Metals. Got it."

"Why?" Riku got a good look at his face and balked. "Sora, no. Leave Kiri alone."

"No, Riku, I can't let this keep going. You didn't see Kairi earlier. The last time I saw her that bad, I… I lost her. I don't want to see her like that again. Not ever."

Riku faltered at the rare despondent expression. "Sora, look, I'm sure this is some sort of misunderstanding-"

"Misunderstanding? Are you out of your mind? Kairi was _terrified_ afterwards."

Riku knew how serious that was. This was the girl who embraced a heartless from her conviction. This was the girl that saw through his monster form and dragged him back to Sora. This was the girl who leapt of a balcony to fight a horde of shadows bare-handed to save the person that meant the most to her.

"Whatever happened was not a misunderstanding," Sora insisted, "and now I find out she got hurt over it!"

"You think I'm not upset too?" Riku asked. "What I mean is, Kiri's been in hiding all this time, and she's trying to protect herself. It just doesn't make sense that she would attack her like this. And she's never had a reason to be mad at Kairi before. I want to know what changed that."

"A reason? She couldn't have had a reason. Kairi was trying to help her; she was the one who was so gung-ho about helping her!"

"Look, I'll talk to her," Riku said. "The second you guys meet will probably end up in a fight anyway. At least if I go I might have a chance to hear the whole story. I'll find out what the deal is."

"You better. You can let her know that if she _ever_ goes near Kairi again, I'm coming after her myself. I can't have her just get away with this."

"Don't worry. I never intended to let her."


	16. The Other Side of the Door

**LIAR!**

The large, bold letters of the sign leaning against the crates actually made him jump. It nearly glowed against the muddy gray of the wall and dark wood, making the black words clear as day. And Riku instantly hated himself for the tiny scare it had produced. In hindsight, he should have realized she would figure it out. He glared at the sign, his blood boiling even more than when he first arrived. He started climbing with purpose, and he could not resist kicking the thing down as he moved past. Riku did not care if it was pointless or immature. It just felt good at the time, and that was what mattered. He jumped onto the top of the wall, and was not surprised in the least when he saw someone on the ground waiting for him.

"Guess you can't fly after all."

The innocent sounding statement was hard, cold, and flat as she leered up with crossed arms. Accusing. Trapping.

He was nothing more than a shadow against the backdrop of the blue star-speckled night sky, and he did not make a move to come down and join her. Kiri wondered if he would. Her heart was torn, tugging between silently daring him to come in for the excuse to punch him again, and praying he stayed where he was, so as not to call her bluff. But he did not move, and she felt a twinge of disappointment.

"Looks that way." He mirrored her stance. "And you're not exactly jumping to knock my block off either."

"You're not on the property. I don't care where you go as long as you're outside the gate."

"Really? And if I were to enter?"

And her heart leapt to her throat, when she saw his hands lowering by his sides. And she wondered why she ever wished he would do so. He jumped.

He landed.

Kiri's expression did not change when he straightened. Riku kept his eyes to her, and made three deliberate steps, stopping four paces from her. When she gave no other reaction, he crossed his arms.

"Well?"

She blinked quickly, her cheeks and eyes burning as she looked down. She lost and she knew it, and hated herself all the more for it.

"I… knew you'd come here, after what happened to Kairi." She admitted quietly. "You warned me what would happen if I came after your friends. I can't blame you for that."

The mention actually ticked Riku off more. She remembered that, yet she still went after her? "What, you have an honor system, now?"

"I still have _morals_, for your information."

"Really? Where does hurting an innocent girl fall on your so called 'morals'?"

"I didn't _hurt_ her! I just… scared her. That's all. She'll probably shake it off by now."

"She's got a pretty nasty mark to prove otherwise. And she seemed pretty shaken up about the whole thing. Believe me, that's not easy to do."

"Really?" She peered up at him, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. "I guess I'm better than I thought."

The scowl on his face darkened as he held back his immediate response. "I think it had more to do with that peculiar stare of yours. Care to elaborate why it seems to put us on edge?"

It looked like answering was the last thing she wanted to do, but she finally relented. "I have a… power, like you. The way you sense the darkness. But not anything really useful. I can see people's emotions. I can pick it up as easily as a book. So I started to call it "reading"."

"You can see into people's hearts," he realized.

She seemed to actually grimace at the description. "Yeah. But I have to focus into a person's eyes to do it. They can sense when I do it too much, and it puts them on edge anyway."

"That's what I felt in the hallway then. Why I thought you were actually looking at me."

"I hadn't really meant too," she defended, "but you surprised me. I got excited, and wanted to see you. But I ended up "reading" you instead. Sorry."

"And at the table, the first Saturday."

Her head hung low, and almost imperceptibly leaned away from him. "I knew something had happened. I wanted to know what it was. Even if it couldn't really give answers."

He watched her carefully, taking note of her tone, and her body language. He might have been going out on a limb here, but for some reason she did not seem happy with the situation. "I get the feeling that's the real reason you kept apologizing to me, at first."

"…I'm sorry."

"You can keep it under control, at least."

She nodded. "I don't have to do it all the time."

"But Kairi?"

"I was… suspicious. So I started to read her to see if she was telling the truth. I can usually tell depending on how much darkness forms from their words."

"But you didn't find any darkness in her."

"No. I didn't. Not one single drop. Her heart is still pure and bright, like always. So it's not like I did anything to her." Kiri said suddenly. "So are you going to come after me already, or do you like keeping me in suspense?"

"I'm not going to attack you."

"Oh really? Why?" She asked suspiciously. "Are you going to tell me you _actually_ want to help me?"

"Not on your _life_." He spat. "Not after this stunt. I'm holding back because for some weird reason, Kairi wants to _protect_ you. She won't tell me what happened, and I know she wouldn't be happy if I tried to fight you, even if it was for her sake."

He could see the bafflement from his statement. The darkness of the night made it almost impossible to tell, but he picked it up easily because he felt it himself.

"But… _why_?" She asked with clear disbelief. "I told her I didn't want her help- I _told_ her that was a bad idea! Why isn't she listening?"

He huffed. "Because that's how she is. She does things she believes in, and doesn't listen to anyone she doesn't want to."

"But you're her friend. She should listen to you, do something about it!"

"You think I haven't tried before? She's stubborn, all right? Once she sets her mind to something, even I can't change it."

She snorted. "Well, guess that explains why _you _two are friends. Honestly, I thought _you _were a headache, but she's more thick-headed than you are."

"Watch it, that's my _friend_ you're talking about."

"Oh, sorry," she said with mock-sympathy. "You're right, let me try again: You're both _equal_ idiots."

"And you're a regular comedian," he countered dryly.

"I'm just saying it as I see it. For crying out loud, I slammed her into a wall, and she still wants to help me! That's just stupid."

"You _WHAT_!?"

He nearly roared, and it made her jump in surprise. For a moment she could only stare, blinking owlishly. "…You didn't know?"

"She didn't _tell_ me anything!" He reminded with flashing eyes.

"Oh…" She droned, decreasing volume with increasing dread. "Um… well, now you do!" She threw her hands up with a nervous smile.

Riku clenched his jaw and hands. "You-!"

She bolted for the door. Seeing her run made him snap.

"KIRI!"

He gave chase. But she was quick, quick enough to dash through the grounds of the factory, between the wall and the building. She turned sharply, skidding along the dirt to change direction, Riku right behind her, adding another dust cloud. She darted through the front door, and slammed it behind her. Riku reached for the door handle, but found it locked.

"Kiri!" he yelled, and pounded the wood. "Open the door!"

"No!"

"Are you really going to do something this _childish_?"

"I am not _childish_! I'm taking preventive measures for any possible evidence."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm giving you the chance to cool off before you leave any marks from attacking me, stupid."

He leered. "I just told you I'm not going to attack you."

"I can't trust you."

"Hey, who's the only one who actually hit someone here?"

"I didn't hit her!"

"Not her, _me_!"

"That doesn't count, it was self defense."

"Self defense?" he looked at the wood, appalled. "I wasn't attacking you!"

"You insulted me and made me defensive, so I stood up for myself! Hence: self-defense!"

"That's not even what it means!"

"It is now!"

He held back a groan of frustration. This girl was clearly not right in the head. "Okay, fine, if the first one was 'self-defense', then explain the second one."

"Hey, I was just trying to help so you wouldn't have to explain it to everyone why you had a broken nose."

"Oh yeah?" He cocked an eyebrow in clear disbelief. "Open this door, look me in the eye to tell me you didn't enjoy it. I dare you."

There was no answer. Riku waited to give her time to respond, but for naught.

"You can't, can you?" he challenged.

On the other side of the door, Kiri pressed her fingers into a wheel, grinning as she remembered the rush she felt when she crushed the cartilage under her fingers. A part of her felt guilty (a very, very small part) yet the satisfaction she felt at the chance to hit him again definitely outweighed the cons.

"Are you going to come out here and talk to me, or are we going to have to shout through the wood?"

Her grin dropped as she snorted. "No way, I'm not dumb enough to trust you, you just yelled at me."

"You slammed my best friend into a _wall_! How do you _expect_ me to react!?"

"She was asking for it!" She defended, arms down and rigid. "She wouldn't shut up, I had to make her back off!"

There was a silence on the other side, and Kiri suddenly felt sick.

"_Really_? Are you going to explain that one to me? Because I'd love to hear how that one panned out."

Kiri took a shaky breath. She knew this would happen. Wringing her hands, she willed the tremors in her arms and legs to go away. Kairi had lied when she had claimed the boys were willing to help, but Kiri was not mad about the lie itself. The girl, no matter how backwards her attempt was, was genuinely trying to help, and Kiri was no stranger to that. But the _idiot_ had no idea what she was getting herself into, coming from of her optimistic, joyful little sense of justice in the world, only to help the wrong person. If Kiri was going to accept help, it would have to be from someone who knew _who_ she was, so they would know what they were getting themselves into. Not from someone who _insulted_ her pride and person.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Riku's voice cut through again, startling her.

Kiri had reached for the lock, one hand on the bolt, the other on the door. It was only right that she face him, after all. This was the result of her actions. She had purposely insulted, punched, scared, or angered all three of them at one point or another. And she did not want to back down; she did not want to be the scared, cowardly little girl she used to be.

But her fingers refused to move.

It did not matter what she told him. Even if she told him that Kairi had flat out lied to her, belittled her, and destroyed what little tolerance she had built up for the girl, he would take Kairi's side anyway, because _Kiri_ was the one that lost her cool and snapped. She had bullied her, plain and simple. Used her strength and her power to scare her into backing off. Never mind it was for her own good. She had still scared the sweet, smart, pure, _beautiful_ mayor's daughter. The princess of Destiny Islands.

And Kiri was terrified, because nothing was stopping Riku from breaking the door down and delivering retribution. Yet he surprised her again by the even tone of his voice.

"Just tell me why, at least. You were nice enough to her before. Why the sudden change?"

How could she even begin to explain? She sighed, wondering if she was fighting a hopeless battle.

"Because I thought she didn't _know_ the truth before," Kiri said in slight exasperation. "I thought you were keeping this a secret from them."

"Because I didn't say anything in front of them?"

"Because you always came _alone_!"

And somehow, the statement stung him, more than she could have fathomed. But she could not tell, since he was on the other side of the locked door.

"I thought you were-" she stopped, choked, and looked down. "Like me…"

"Like you? How?"

She heard the surprise in his voice, and it just dug in as a bitter reminder of the imagined connection they might have had, and the reality of the barrier between them. Silently, she eased her forehead onto the door, rolling over to stare at the hand on the deadbolt. This was a bad idea, telling him this. It was not as though she had any illusions to how he would react. She knew he would scoff at the notion. And the dark, sadistic part of her wanted to beat that notion into the ground, rip it apart and tear it into unrecognizable pieces, so that she could remind herself again and again of her stupidity. And make sure it never happened again. On the other side of the door, Riku had to lean in to hear her lowering voice, pressing his ear against the wood as his hand remained on the doorknob.

"You have a lot more darkness than anyone else here." She answered plainly. "The second I saw you, I knew you were different, and for a second, I was afraid. I didn't know how to look at you. But then I was… happy. To see that you were different too." He could not see the hints of her tears that she fought as she looked at the deadbolt in her hand. Yet her voice was deceptively steady, and for that much, at least, she was grateful. "I thought that… you were in the same boat I was. Hiding the truth from everyone around you."

She closed her eyes, wishing beyond wishing that that she had the will to stand up and say that straight to his face. Even if she was technically half blind. At least here, where her face was hidden, he would not see her initial reaction when he laughed.

She could not see through the wood to see Riku held very still against the door. He knew he should have stayed mad at her, for Kairi's sake, for Sora's sake, and his own. Yet he kept staring at the doorknob in his hand. He could not manage to scrape up the indignant fury for her past outbursts. He had seen her darkness as a warning. She had seen his as a sign of hope.

_Thank you, Riku_.

He felt sorry for her.

And Kiri, waiting in terrified silence for his answer, had enough, realizing he was not even going to grace her with a response. And somehow, that felt worse.

"But obviously I was wrong," her voice cut through, and she clenched the deadbolt, before releasing it. "You're not as alone as I thought. I should have talked to you the night you got back and saved myself this trouble. I guess I should count myself lucky. You were certainly never _afraid_ of me, right? Not with back-up."

Riku leaned back, releasing the handle. "I could have told you that. Just because I'm different, doesn't mean I'm alone. But I guess at this point, you rather would be."

Her brow furrowed in annoyance. "Is this what you came back for? To rub it in my face? You're starting to annoy me again."

"I seem to have a knack for that. But since you're being so compliant right now, I might as well learn what I can. Who's the woman in the black cloak?"

She frowned. "What woman?"

"A woman who came by earlier. She wanted to take you off of this Island. Not someone I know, but obviously an acquaintance of yours. Someone who's involved with a group of people who are apparently interested in you."

"That story again? I'll tell you right now, I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know any woman who wears a black coat. What did she look like?"

"Not sure. She kept her hood on."

"Oh, _that's_ helpful. This little story of yours smells a little fishier to me."

The response irritated him. He did not appreciate being called a liar. "You've mentioned these people before. She said she had been trying to convince you before."

She was silent for a moment, as her mind started piecing together a possibility that worried and terrified her. "Did… this woman talk funny?"

"Funny how?"

"I mean… was there something weird about the way she spoke. Like, hard to understand?"

Riku found his curiosity piqued despite himself. It was an oddly specific quirk to ask about. "No. Should there have been?"

And he did not see the relief on her face as she put a hand over her racing, non-existent heart. "No, forget it. I have no idea what you're talking about. Just what is your deal, anyway? You expect me to know about this "keyblade", and now these 'people' that are in some kind of conspiracy? Just what do you think I am?"

"That's a good question. I was hoping you could tell me just _what_ you are."

She winced, the statement stinging her a lot more than he could fathom. "Get out."

"Is that it, then? You won't answer anything else?"

"I don't have to tell you anything. I gave you a free ride tonight since it was my fault you came here anyway, but I swear, if I _ever_ see your face around here again, I won't hesitate to see if you're still human enough to _bleed_. Got that?"

Riku knew he should have been offended, or defensive, or wary, but the feelings wouldn't come. He stared at the door, and all he could think was that this would be the last time he would see her on an honest level. The next time they met would be Saturday. A time of charades.

"…Got it."

Riku did not turn right away. He felt as though he wanted to say something to her, something to finalize this. But she was angered when he tried to apologize. And it couldn't be "good-bye" when they were going to see each other again soon anyway. So he turned away and headed back through the gate, leaving behind the looming, empty factory. His journey back home was uneventful, except for one moment, when he made it over the mountain to the residential part of the island, and noticed a light shining through the window in the distance. It was peculiar, but not enough for Riku to really feel obligated to investigate, so he went back to walking.

Kairi left the light on, knowing the hour, but wide awake and unwilling to crawl into bed. She leaned over her crossed arms. The tome was open, but it was not the pages she read. Tucked neatly into the book was a piece of paper, with a scrawled message. Kairi's eyes were dark and heavy as she scanned the handwritten lines over and over. By now she had nearly memorized the piece. The girl finally sighed softly. She moved her arms up to partially cover the book, and lowered her head onto her arms.

"I'm sorry."

Most of the note was buried under her arms and head. Only part of one line was visible in the light. Written carefully in black ink was the pleading phrase "you were the only one I could trust".


	17. Bridging the Gap

Riku wondered if using distractions to avoid talking with his friends was a hassle, or just cowardly. It would at least save him the trouble of feeling awkward in new company, next time.

Her name was Claire. He knew her from brief chats in his classroom. She seemed to be one of the few people to actually approach him on a regular basis. Their conversations had gone pleasantly enough, he supposed. They were short, at least. Riku was glad enough for that. If she were overly chatty, he would have tried to get her to actually leave him alone. There was not much to really talk about, though, and Riku wondered why she kept coming back.

"…with the student council all the time," Claire laughed.

"What? You're part of student council too?" Kairi said in surprise. "No way, you must be really busy! I don't get how you can play soccer too and still keep up with your grades."

'Student council, huh?' Riku wondered. Maybe it was her job to help the new students or something. Her patience was a virtue. It was something he was grateful for, like an answer to his prayers. All day he had been thinking about his abrupt and almost unfruitful meeting with Kiri the night before, and how Kairi might actually be cross at him for going out. And chances were, she would grill or interrogate him. And at this point, he was just not in the mood.

But then when they were talking at the end of the school day, Claire had asked to come along and see how Kairi and Sora were doing. Riku seized the chance, smiling in relief as he did so. He did not think to question the sudden flush to her cheeks or nervous smile, already too busy thinking of introductions for when they would meet up.

Claire chuckled and waved her off. "Oh, it's no big deal. I mean, I like keeping busy."

"I don't see the fun in it," Sora wrinkled his nose. "Sounds like too much work to me."

Claire giggled as Kairi huffed at him. "Oh, don't go criticizing her, you lazy bum! Everyone's doing too much work to _you_."

She was getting along with them just fine. And he did not even have to say anything to keep the conversation going. Perfect, she was just what he needed. Kept the others busy while he let his mind drift. Anyone else probably would have loved a chance for her to help them anyway. She was, in a word, stunning. Only second year in high school, and she was already a voluptuous beauty. A slender waist, round hips, and prominent bust was more than enough to catch any boy's attention, but her assets did not end there. Long violet tresses, impeccably trimmed and carefully brushed and styled framed her heart shaped face. There was natural pigment to her full lips, distinguished cheekbones, and small pointed nose. And she had the most breathtakingly clear emerald eyes, with naturally long, dark lashes. She was beautiful, and smart. She could have any guy she wanted, Riku thought distantly, but his mind went back and already trailed off to the night before, and then the nights before that.

"Claire," Kairi said suddenly. "Is your house this way? Aren't you usually busy at this time?"

Claire glanced at Riku and smiled slightly, though bit her lip and looked away bashfully. Even that little motion made her cute, but Riku was too distracted to notice.

"Yeah, I am. I just wanted to see you guys. So I skipped."

"You skipped? Uh…" Sora considered this. "So… you're not gonna get in trouble for this, right?"

"Of course not," she smiled sweetly. "I mean, as long as you won't tell anyone."

"Oh, no, no, I won't," he assured, and the two girls giggled at him.

"Everyone was glad when you came back." Claire continued. "I wanted to ask how you were, but there were so many people, I didn't want to overwhelm you."

Sora and Riku shared a glance, and sighed almost imperceptivity. More dodgy answers to try avoiding the truth. Kairi, for her part, smiled politely. "That's nice of you. You don't have to, though, we're fine."

"I know. It's just after looking for you for so long, I was worried. It's nice to see you back again."

Kairi's smile flickered as she turned thoughtful, and cocked her head. "Were you looking for us too?"

"Of course, everyone was."

"Yeah, but mom and dad said almost everyone gave up after the first two weeks." Kairi put her finger on her chin as she regarded her thoughtfully. "Were you… did you happen to be one of the students that stayed?"

Claire's cheeks reddened, and shrugged as she nodded.

"Oh! Then you must be her!" Kairi laughed in relief. "My parents told me I should be thanking a friend from school for helping to find us. But I asked around and no one knew who I was talking about."

Claire laughed with her. "Of course they wouldn't, I'm in high school!"

"Right! But I'm so glad I finally found you. I have something of yours. You left before getting it back, and I didn't know who to return it to."

"I left something?" Claire looked at her quizzically. "At your house?"

"What, did you forget about it?"

"I guess I did." She frowned in thought. "Can't think of what it could be though. I don't think I'm missing anything."

Whether or not she remembered, Kairi was determined to get it back to her. She dragged everyone to her house to stop first, since she wanted the boys to be there when she unveiled it. The boys shared a look, and shrugged lightly at each other, deciding to just go with it without question. The three stood outside her door as Kairi hurried inside to get Claire's mysterious item. Whatever it was must have been close to the door, because they were saved after suffering only a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Ta-da!" Kairi cheered as she popped out of the door. "Here it is!"

It was a bag. A black drawstring bag that was made of a thick, strong material, and had one plain strap. It almost looked like something a hiker would use. Both Sora and Riku frowned thoughtfully at it.

"Hey…" Sora said slowly. "Isn't that…?"

"The bag that your parents had all that stuff in?" Riku finished. "I thought that was theirs."

"Nope! Get this, my parents were sleeping that night, but Claire came to get them, and told them where we were. And she's the one who brought us all that stuff."

Riku's gaze switched to the girl, suddenly seeing her in a new light. "Really? You did all that for us?"

Claire blinked, looking between the bag and Riku. She murmured to herself in confusion, though the others spoke over her.

"Awesome!" Sora grinned. "Hey, thanks for the food, I was practically _starving_ to death."

Claire winced, her voice low. "Well I-"

"Oh you were fine," Kairi chastised, and smiled at Claire. "But I was really glad for the blanket. And the potions too. Really, you thought of everything."

She fiddled with her hair nervously. "Um, actually-"

Riku smiled. "I'm surprised you knew we were there. Thank you. It was really thoughtful of you."

"Um, guys, wait," Claire held out her hands. "The bag's not mine."

The three went quiet, staring at the bag, and the protesting "owner".

"It's not?" Kairi asked. "But I don't understand, aren't you the one that found us?"

"No. I mean, I kept up with the search party, but I wasn't up that late. No one was. I didn't hear about it until after you guys got back."

Sora scratched his head as he tried to fit the pieces. "So then, if it wasn't you, who knew we were on the island?"

Kiri. At the mention of no one being 'up that late', Riku's mind had already been wandering back to the first night he confronted her, and the conversation that, in retrospect, so obviously proved her innocence. When she had gathered everything together awkwardly in her hands, he had thought idly that she needed something to hold it all together. And as he looked at the sack in Kairi's hand, his brain clicked everything into place. Her sudden worry over Kairi, her unusual knowledge of their first night back, the scent of darkness covering their family members… and who _else_ would be awake during that time of night, and even be able to see that they were out there? Even though he was sure of it, the idea still left him confused. Why didn't she tell them anything?

"I'll take it." He said. "I know whose it is."

Everyone turned to look at him with varied mixes of confusion, surprise, and bemusement. He only kept his eyes on Kairi, however, looking at her meaningfully.

"Really?" She finally asked, though she still was confused.

"Yeah. She's been wanting this back for a while." He held out his hand expectantly. "I should have thought to give it to her sooner."

They kept up the staring contest for another moment, but Riku's face did not move from his pointed expression. "Oh." Still a little confused, Kairi complied. "Well, I guess I'll leave it to you, then."

"Oh hey," Sora spoke up. "Tell her thanks for the food."

"And the blanket." Kairi said.

"I will." The plain, sturdy bag could have been child's lost toy with the way he held and looked at it. "I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it helped."

He said it easily enough, yet as Claire looked at him, and down at the bag in his hand she still felt a twinge of unease.

Kiri prayed with everything she had that this would go well.

Every fiber of her being was shaking, and she had to keep the grip on her weapons white-knuckled, just to keep it steady. There was a feeling that made her freeze mid pull-up. Still as a statue, she waited. Dynamo's growls suddenly changed pitch as he finally sensed what had made her stop, confirming her intentions. So now she waited, pressed against the wall as each eternal second wracked her nerves and sent her mind reeling, eyes pinned to the door. The dog's movement kept the place from being completely still, and light from the large windows high above kept the place from being completely dark, but the large empty warehouse was still slightly eerie. Kiri was pressed against one of the bins, hiding in the shadow the structure in a stance ready for launch. He was coming. He was powerful.

She was dead.

No. She could do this, just strike hard and fast. Hard and fast, hard and fast hard and fast-

The door opened. Kiri felt like she was choking, and she froze, completely paralyzed.

Riku let the door slip shut behind him, casting a look to the barking but chained Dynamo and showing Kiri the back of his head. Turning back, he walked toward the row of conveyor belts, but paused, taking a look at the pile of tools laying on the floor to the side.

"Kiri," he called out over Dynamo's barking. "I know you're here. We need to talk. I have a proposition for you. I have something for you, and I want you to hear me out."

Liar! Her jaw clenched to hard it almost hurt. Glowering at his shadow, she silently cursed his arrival, and said exactly what she thought of his "proposition" and where she would have liked to shove it. She gave him her own and he wasn't exactly honoring it. She had warned him, hadn't she? If she hurt him, it was his own fault; she wouldn't be at fault for attacking! Just what did she owe him, anyway?

Besides that he was no ordinary human, and probably had untold power as well.

Keeping his gaze ahead as he glanced around, he called out for her once more before he entered the long patch of moonlight on the concrete floor. His pale skin and vest glowed in the highlights, his silver hair shining white, almost unreal in appearance. In just the right light for her to see. And in _just_ the right spot for launch range. Yet Kiri couldn't bring herself to move.

Maybe he would not notice. Maybe she would not _have_ to attack. The teen had looked to Dynamo again, showing the back of his head. But Kiri's perception slowed. When he was turning his head to look the other way, she realized he would be turning to face her, and would spot her. But that moment was all she needed to remember one important fact: she wasn't human either.

_Hard and fast_.

She kicked off, launching to him like a rocket. The split second difference was all Riku needed to throw up Dark Shield.

Kiri ricocheted off the energy, sliding back on her feet. Ignoring the surprise and confusion, she charged again, this time attacking in a strike akin to a left-hook, though she hit with the side of her forearm. Except braced with a metal tonfa with a sharp blade sticking out of the rod at her elbow. Riku kept up his shield, not moving to strike, but only to follow her movements as she tried to circle around him and catch him off guard. No such luck.

"This isn't going to work," He said over the sound of metal striking the dark magic. "Just put down your weapons and let me-"

She jumped. Flying to sail over him, she kicked her leg out to strike him in the head, only to meet air as he jumped into a forward handspring to avoid her. Disappearing into the shadows, Riku only had enough time to turn before Kiri rushed at him, already inside his guard. She swung savagely, left, then right, then left again before she pulled back to charge for an extra braced strike to his gut. In the single break, he flew back, barely evading the blade at the end of the tonfa from cutting into his belly.

He sprung to the side again, and Kiri only needed a second to flip the tonfa in her right hand so the bladed end pointed forward. She lunged with a battle cry, driving her rod forward to stab him.

"I have your bag!" He called.

Kiri faltered, moving her tonfa to the side at the last minute. He shot into her defense, and twisted the tonfa to yank it out of her hand. Bringing his arm across in a move similar to her hook-like strikes, he held the bladed end to her chest. She froze, eyes wide as she gaped at the weapon held to her.

"I came to talk," he said. "Not to fight. I have a proposition for you, so stand down and listen to me."

She didn't answer, not right away. Snapping her jaw shut and looking away, her face burned in humiliation.

"Well?"

She still refused to say anything, but she raised her eyes to glare balefully at him. There was no fear in her eyes as she raised her hands in surrender. She was furious, but rather calm about the situation. He reached down into the deep folds of his pocket, and pulled out the bag. It had been folded several times, and unraveled once it reached the open. Her eyes followed his movement, ready to spring away at the first sign of a trick. But when he tossed the bag in the direction of the tools lying in the moonlight, she gasped soundlessly, her eyes in clear disbelief.

"What?" he asked lightly. "You thought I wouldn't return it?"

"I… I thought you were lying. Tricking me into lowering my guard."

This time he eased the weapon away from her. "I don't resort to dirty tricks to win a fight." He assured, and flipped it to return it to her, handle first. She did not take it right away, looking at him in suspicion.

"You still used one to catch-me off guard."

"I'll make an exception for you." He said lightly. "Besides, now you'll know better for next time."

She snatched the weapon, unamused. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. I'm not going to bargain for something that's rightfully yours."

She looked at him, hard, unconsciously tapping into her Reading. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped, knowing it would be useless on him. Finally putting both weapons in one hand, she crossed her arms.

"Then what do you want?"

"There's something I have to tell you. But I have a question first."

"Oh, _more_ questions?" She threw her arms up. "Great. _Just_ what I need, more interrogations. Are you ever gonna let up? I can tell you right now the answer is probably "no"."

She had turned away from him, already done with the conversation as she went to her tools, fully intending on packing them away in the bag she had been missing for the past weeks. Funny to think how this whole nightmare had been started be a little act of charity gone awry-

"Why didn't you tell me you were the one that found us on the island first?"

Kiri froze as the question brought the night up so much more vividly. It was like he had been reading her mind and it was scary. Turning to glare at him balefully, she went rigid.

"What was the point? What, did you want me to make my case? It wasn't like you _cared_."

"You could have at least told me what you were doing that night. If I knew you were trying to help us, I wouldn't have been so suspicious."

Her glare shifted into a confused stare for a moment as she scrutinized him. "You… but you already knew… didn't you?"

And then it was his turn to be confused. "Kiri… How could I have known?"

Dynimo barked angrily from the sidelines. The two teens staring incredulously at each other as the full scope of the situation hit them like a wrecking ball.

"You've gotta be kidding me." She all but spat.

"Kiri-"

"You said you sensed me. You could _smell_ me on them."

"I know, I didn't realize-"

"I _thought_ you figured it out. How could you not have known?"

"I didn't think you were actually involved."

"You _threatened_ me for it!"

"I know."

"You- you wanted- No, _no_. You know what? It doesn't even matter anymore."

"Kiri, wait, just hear me out-"

"No! No, I'm done, get out."

"Look, I'm _sorry_, I just-"

"Get out before I kill you!"

"Kiri, I'm not leaving!"

"Why won't you just leave me alone!?"

"Because it's my fault!"

"Way to point out the obvious, genius! I wasn't exactly jumping up to fight you!"

"No, I mean it's my fault you're not human anymore!"

Dynimo had stopped barking. The canine had reached where he barked himself hoarse, and Riku's last declaration echoed into the dying silence. He was breathing hard, but Kiri was just staring, standing. Her expression had not even moved from the furious glower.

"…what?"

He had to steel himself to look her in the eye. "Just what I said. Kiri, I'm sorry. I realize now that I've been going about this the wrong way. I'm the reason you're like this now and... I know I can never make up for it, and I can't make it right. But you should at least hear the whole story. You… you deserve to know what happened, at least."

He knew he struck a chord with her, he could see it from the flicker of recognition. But it only lasted for a second, replaced instead with uncertainty.

"But… that's impossible… how could…?"

"This is what I've been trying to tell you. There's something going on you don't understand, but I want to explain to you what it is before you end up bringing in more darkness. Or you lose yourself completely. I'm trying to stop a disaster from happen again."

"Stop saying that!" she finally screamed at him. She clenched the tonguns so tightly in her hand her knuckles turned white. "I'm not trying to hurt anyone! I'm not inviting any "disaster", and I'm not trying to bring anything dangerous! This is the only way I can make myself feel safe. Ever since last year I've been a mess, but when I started this that _changed_. I don't have a heart, but I still want to live again! I don't care if it doesn't make sense to you, I have just as much right to be happy as you do, and these nightmares are more real to me than anything else here! I know someone like you won't understand, but I don't care! I don't want to be afraid anymore! I'm sick of being scared of the dark!"

After her screams, she was breathing hard, the anger still burning under her skin. She could sense him approaching, but did not release the knife. She dropped her eyes down, ashamed of her display.

"You really still think you don't have a heart, even after that display." There was a bit of wry amusement in his voice. "Just because of what I said? Why?"

"Why do you care now?" she seethed. "We've already gotten past this."

"Hn. I think you still have a little too much faith in me."

"It's not _you_ I'm trusting in," she spat, but held her tongue and said nothing more.

There were another few moments that she filled with her panting. He looked down at her shuddering form, regretful of his actions more than ever. It was hard to remember, sometimes, what it was like to live without understanding the rules of Darkness and its inner workings. It had become second nature to him by now. Kiri, for her part, hadn't brought herself to look up at him. Once she had screamed out everything she wanted at him, it felt like all the fight had left her. And he was still standing. Seemingly as immovable as ever.

Who was she kidding, trying to fight against him? Even when she breached the borders of humanity, he was so far ahead of her.

"You win," she finally whispered. "This was dangerous anyway." She kept her head down and stepped away from him. "I shouldn't have gotten you involved."

"Wait," he called, and his hand flew out to hold her forearm.

She did. She stopped walking, and he kept his hand around the wrist that had the tonguns. And her stomach plummeted as she realized he might ask for the tonguns to make sure she stayed out of trouble. But… that wouldn't be fair. They were _hers_ she had…

"Kiri," his tone was softer now, "I'm not telling you to stop because I don't understand. I'm telling you that you don't have to be scared anymore. You don't have to prepare for another nightmare." He took a single step to her, looking down at her turned away face as he brought up the hand in his grasp. "You don't need these anymore, because _this_ is what I'm making sure doesn't happen again."

"How… can you say something like that?" she murmured, still not looking at him.

"Because I know what happened. I know why you're afraid. I can tell you what happened that night."

There was a moment of delay, and she glanced back at her arm. She pulled it out of his hand, and looked at his hand as though it were about to burn her.

"Oh really?" she finally murmured sarcastically, but her voice was shaking. "Because you're the reason it happened, right?"

"I am. I was the one that gave you that nightmare."

She gawked, stunned from the sincerity in his grave admission. But this time, he was the one that was turned away. "I still don't get it. How can you possibly be the one responsible?"

"Because I was the one that did exactly what I'm trying to stop you from. I was the one that called the darkness, one year ago. It's why I've been gone, trying to fight it and make up for what I've done. And somehow, you've paid the price more heavily than the others."

The admission was a heavy one, and brought them into a stalemate of a different kind. Kiri kept gaping at him, but he still could not look her in the eye after bearing the knowledge. She finally looked down, trying to process and consider the statement. Her nonexistent heart automatically raced at the chance he was claiming, and she raised her eyes.

"Is… that the truth? Look me in the eye, and _tell_ me that you're telling me the truth."

He closed his eyes a moment, before finally turning to face her. They locked eyes, and just as he predicted, facing her after admitting giving into the darkness was one of the most difficult things he had done. Her eyes were hard and searching, scrutinizing him so much he had to fight the urge to wilt under her judgment. But he stayed strong and plowed on.

"What I'm about to say is going to sound incredible. You may end up not believing me. But I swear to you: every word will be the truth."

Her shining eyes looked into his bright eyes for that hint of deception. But there was nothing. She almost wanted to believe him right then and there for one reason only: this was not the same Riku. There was none of the bold and brash confidence she had come to know him with, not even a shadow of the cocksure smirk that had always been his signature expression. The almost unmovable pillar of strength and confidence she had come to both fear and idolize was no more. Looking deep into the soul he was bearing before her, she could see something very clearly: something had been broken. She could not tell what it was, or just how far the damage extended, but his eyes betrayed only two things: Fear, and regret. Fear. He was afraid of her and what he was saying. Of what she would do, as though her reaction was actually important to him.

"You'll… tell me everything?" she finally whispered.

"Everything you need to know."

And an odd fever possessed her at the answers that seemed so close in her grasp, and her free hand went out to his arm just under his shoulder. His skin was hot under her fingers, and she held on almost as tightly as the tonguns. She leaned close and leered almost directly under his face. "You'll give me all the details, no matter how small, and if I still have questions, you'll answer them? No evading, no lies, nothing?"

He did not move, and met her unflinchingly. "Nothing. I'll answer everything."

"Promise me! _Promise_."

"I promise. Swear on it."

Neither had broken eye contact. The silence was nearly overwhelming. But Kiri was too wrapped up in the only lead she had.

"I'll… I'll listen." She finally said as she stepped back and released him.

He finally looked away from her, and released the breath he had been holding. It was only then she realized he had probably suffered under her stare at a much stronger level than anyone else previously. And her touch, she realized belatedly as she looked at her hand. But he gathered his composure quickly enough. "Get your stuff. Meet me at the shore. We have to get out of here before you attract any more attention."

"Shore?"

"On the south side of the Island. I'm going to take you to the small island off the south shore."

His play island, she realized, but the thought only made her do a double take. "What? Why?"

"Because what I'm about to tell you can't be heard by anyone else. We have a rule that nothing gets mentioned outside of that island." He stared at her as she stepped back from him. "Kiri?"

"No. I don't want to leave here."

"Why not? We have to get you out of here."

She did not like it. He was taking her to a place that was outside of the main Island, with no real escape option besides swimming. What if he was leading her into a trap? What if she had been stupid enough to believe him because she Read him wrong? If this was a trick, or a trap, she could escape in an emergency. She knew her way around here. Thinking fast, she reasoned into a compromise.

"Well, no one's here, right? I mean, no one's around here at this time of night."

"I'd feel better if we were out of here."

"Well _I'd_ feel better here!"

He did not respond, and she realized she might have given away too much. Shoot. How could she reason without telling that she was wary of him?

"You still don't trust me."

Well, too late for that. She could not answer, and Riku looked at the tonguns as he went deep in thought.

"Alright then." He finally said. "We'll have it your way. We'll stay here."

Dynimo barked. The two teens jumped and simultaneously glared at the dog that had suddenly got his voice back. Riku switched his dry stare to Kiri, and she was almost tempted to tell him they would stay anyway, just to spite him. But even she could see how carrying a decent conversation in here would be a problem.

"…We can at least leave the factory."

"_Thank_ you." He turned away and headed out the door before she had time to change her mind. When he left through the door, she looked back down at her tonguns as she considered the deal.

"Riku… just what happened to you?"

Alrighty. So finally, FINALLY, next chapter will be where everyone starts "cooperating" (I use that term loosely) and all this confusing build up finally ties in together. (If you haven't already, when next chapter comes out, I suggest rereading the past chapters so you don't forget any important details). Ciao!


	18. Backseat Narration

So... a long, long time ago, in ages long past, I came to you with a proposition to make a RikuxOC story that was actually _good._What I wanted to try to do was find as many characteristics of a Mary Sue and poke fun at it while also throwing it out the window and showing how the scenario could actually work. Well, most of that stuff I kinda ignored for the sake of plot and story, but the ONE thing that stuck around was this: out of character knowledge. The one trait of Kiri that is definitely stuck with me was that she would have to actually be told about everything and what had happened. And it was this opening up and sharing that would lead to a relationship. But then came the question: Why the hell would Riku tell someone from the Islands about everything that happened?

Long story short, this is the result.

There's gonna be a lot of bumps and twists in the road, but she'll eventually learn everything, and after that, it's when everything really kicks off. Fun times.

On the industrial side of the Island, the shore was not smooth and sandy like the other side. There was a small sandy patch, while the rest gave way to rocks worn smooth by the effects of time and waves, and the tropical plant life nestled wherever it could gain purchase. Kiri had led them to the patch, assuring that this was plenty far enough from people, and Riku believed her. She had not been discovered by anyone else, right? She would know her way around. And at least it was not inside of that cursed factory. Being outside was still a step up.

Riku knew what he expected when he agreed to this. Disbelief was the first thing. Confusion was next. She might call him crazy and probably get up and walk away in the middle of it, like any sane person. Each feat just seemed more incredible and unbelievable than the last, and he would not blame her if she did not heed any word he said. The only reason he knew that would hold her back was how much she had riding on it. He sighed once, gathering his thoughts. All day he had been figuring out how best to start the explanation, and he hoped he picked the right path.

"Ever since I was little, I wanted to leave this place. And last year I finally found a way to do it. This whole time I've been gone, I've been traveling to other worlds."

Quiet. Her knees were curled up and she hugged them, her face to him. She didn't even blink.

"I can believe that." She murmured, and turned away as she looked out into the waves. "You're the type of person who could do anything, once he set his mind to it."

And then he breathed easy. If she could take that giant piece of information so well, then this would be a whole lot easier than he thought. He turned his gaze upward and pointed, and she followed his direction. "You see the stars? Each one out there is a world, stretched out across the galaxy…"

With a start like this, Riku thought for sure that it would be smooth sailing. This was a good omen, right?

Wrong.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kiri looked at him incredulously a few minutes and some lessons later. "I thought Maleficent was the one that controlled Nobodies."

"What? No, she controls the Heartless. It's the Organization that controls the nobodies."

"They're not the same thing?"

"Of course not."

"But you just said they have no hearts!"

"Of course they don't, they're nobodies."

"But then why are those other things called heartless?"

"Because they're manifested darkness. Those without hearts."

"You just described nobodies! Why aren't nobodies called "heartless"?"

"Because they don't exist, hence why they're called nobodies."

"What do you mean, they don't exist?! Of course they exist- you just told me about them and gave 'em a name!"

"Because they're neither light, nor darkness! They're nowhere in between!"

"So what, they're _gray_?"

"Yeah… how'd you know?"

"They're all _gray_? They're not even invisible! Why not just call them "Heartless" and the other things darks or shadows or something?"

"Shadows are a type of heartless; the weakest kind."

"Then call them "Skipper" for all I care! If the nobodies were called "heartless" this would make so much more sense!"

"But then we wouldn't have a name for the heartless!"

Kiri let out a frustrated howl before throwing her head into her arms. Riku smacked his forehead with his palm, releasing his own frustrated grunt.

"Why is this so hard to get?" He finally grumbled. "This is simple stuff."

"Maybe it is for you," she shot back. "But this is kinda new for me. I need to write this down." She mumbled to herself.

"_No_." He pinned her with a look. "No one can know about this."

"I know that, I wasn't going to tell anyone. But I'll remember it if I write it down-"

"Absolutely not. We can't risk it getting into the wrong hands."

There was a silent battle of wills in the staring contest. Riku's resolve never faltered, though Kiri was caught, wanting to say something, but holding back. If she pushed the issue, he might start asking questions. And even if he had already learned a lot about her, this was one secret she was _not_ going to give him.

"…Alright." She finally said. "Have it your way."

She would just have to keep up pretenses, for the time being. They turned away from each other, and the waves responded back. The wind whistled in their ears as Riku was trying to go over in his head a better way to explain everything.

"How did you learn all of this?" She asked.

He gave a half shrug. "Just by going along, I guess. I picked it up as I went."

The wind rustled the leaves. Then: "What if I did that?"

"What?" He turned to her, hoping he was hearing her wrong.

"Pick it up. I mean, you learned it a little bit at a time, right? What if you told me how you learned everything. Maybe if I heard how you got through everything, I'd remember it better."

"You mean… tell you everything I did. From my point of view."

"Right. I just... thought it might be easier that way."

And when Riku thought about it… it made sense. All of his knowledge was information he had accumulated over a year. It actually _was_ kind of unfair to expect her to learn it all in one night. But to tell her everything from his actual point of view made his stomach clench. The fingers still in his hair combed out before settling down. Well, hell, she already hated him. Might as well give her even better reasons.

She did not disappoint him.

"Wait a second," she paused. "So you travel across mysterious distances to get dropped off in a giant castle filled with strange people and magic called _Hollow Bastion_, and get taken in by a witch who calls herself _Maleficent_, who then gives you a dark weapon called _Soul Eater_ and you don't get _suspicious_?"

"It's not like I trusted her. I knew she wanted something, I just didn't know what."

"But you still went along with it! Her name was Maleficent for crying out loud. _Maleficent_! That should be a dead giveaway that the people working with you are villains and that you should stay the hell away!"

"What does her name have to do with it?"

"Riku- _maleficent_! Do I need to spell it out for you?"

From the awaiting silence, apparently she did. Unbelievable.

"As in _maleficium, _as in 'evildoing', referring to the sorcerer, like _witchcraft_! Riku, she was basically calling herself 'diabolical witch'! Wait, don't tell me," she sat back and counted off her fingers. "She wore all black, had a ridiculous hat, and probably had some sort of creepy familiar, like a black cat or something."

"…A raven."

She stared flatly at him. Then she sighed softly and buried her face in her hands, shaking her head slowly, and he felt his face turn red.

"How was I supposed to know that?" He defended.

"It was on our vocabulary list in first year! Seriously, how could you not remember something like that and connect the dots?" she sighed and looked up to the heavens.

"Are you going to let me talk or keep insulting me? Because the sooner I can finish, the sooner we can get out of here."

She said nothing initially. The spectator slowly settled back and started playing with the charm on her necklace.

"…You still should have figured it out from the weapon at least." She said.

"_I_ named that weapon."

Kiri was still as she looked at his annoyed face.

"…Seriously?"

"The moment I got it, that was the name that came to mind." He looked at his sword hand as he recalled the moment. "I didn't even put any thought to it, it was… like that was what the sword wanted to be called."

"…You're such an idiot."

"Really," he said flatly.

"Those should even be bigger alarm bells. Seriously, who the hell trusts a sword that sends those kinds of words? _Jeez_ you're a terrible role-model." She brought her knees up and plunked her elbows on them and cradled her chin in her fists. "What was I thinking trying to look up to you? I knew you probably weren't that smart, but I didn't realize just how bad it was."

"Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?"

"You were in B class."

"I was only in that class because I was too lazy to do my work."

One hand went down to fiddle with her charm again. "Uh-huh."

"I was. I felt like I had better things to do."

"Sure you did."

"I could get into A class if I _bothered_."

"You keep telling yourself that."

"Do you mind?" he scowled. "Not all of us can be perfect little nerds like you."

She dropped her necklace. He. Did. Not. Seeing he had her silence, he continued. "I was cocky, not stupid."

Oh no. He was _not_ getting away with that. Now it was personal. And what better way than to use this very knowledge against him? "They're practically the same thing. Did you never pay any attention to the stories in class?"

"I hate English. Always have."

She snorted. "That explains a lot."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"This is how all bad things start. Even I can see this isn't going to end well."

"Of course you can, it's already happened, you know how it ends."

"You haven't _told_ me anything about how it ends, but I can already see this is a tragedy."

"Tragedy? As in star crossed lovers?"

"Not a _romantic_ tragedy, stupid, a _classic_ tragedy. You know, the fall from grace. It's a circle. It starts out with the main character, or you, who seems to have everything going for you. You're talented, strong, smart, and good-looking, so you should be able to go far in life, except you have one character flaw, which in your case is over confidence. So when the catalyst comes along, you'll be tested, but end up failing and hit rock bottom. Which means, you'll overestimate your ability to work with the darkness, betray your friends since you think you won't need them, end up falling under Maleficent's manipulations even though you don't trust her, and eventually be consumed by the darkness and becoming her pawn, am I right?"

"No, actually," he said. "I turned against her and unlocked the darkness in her own heart."

"Mutiny." She threw up her hands. "I should have guessed that. But I'm right about everything else, aren't I?"

He said nothing.

"Told you! You're following the cycle! It's so obvious it's painful. This is why we have school, so we can avoid these situations."

"You're saying a good education would've helped me fight the darkness."

"The more you know, the better. Knowledge is power!" She pumped her fist in the air. "It'll help you avoid the biggest mistakes."

"Right," he scoffed. "Hypocrite. You're doing so bad you need a tutor."

She bristled and glared at him, puncturing her last statement with chopping hands. "MA-LE-FI-_CENT_!"

And he responded in kind. "SHE- WAS- A- _FAIRY_!"

That shut her up. But it was only to hold back a snort of laughter. "Wait, seriously?" She asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.

"Well, evil fairy. That's what she told me, anyway." he conceded, and he leered when she snorted, and put her fist over her mouth.

"A fairy… Oh god, an _evil_ fairy!" she doubled over and burst out laughing. "I can't believe I even heard that!"

His brows drew down as he spoke over her guffawing. "You wouldn't be laughing if you knew what she was capable of."

"Maybe you can't, but _I_ can. Now I get it! She was _compensating_." She fell into another dose of chuckles. "Of course, the black, the familiar, the name- everything was just too perfect! Did she have wings?"

"No."

"Okay. At least that wasn't too distracting. Wouldn't want to ruin her image." She managed to keep herself from laughing again. Just barely.

"Even with wings, I doubt it would have done much difference. Even without the black, she looked like the perfect villain."

"How?"

"Cold eyes. Sharp face. Sickly skin. At first I wondered if she was always nauseous."

"Nauseous? She was green?" Then she turned more pensive. "Was that her actual skin color?"

"Yeah."

"How… strange." And she looked to her feet as she furrowed her brow in concentration. "I wonder what it was like growing up."

"You're asking about her _childhood_?"

"Well, if she really looked like that, it couldn't have been easy. No one's born evil, I don't believe that. But if she looked bad from the start, then maybe it was something she kind of grew into."

"You mean like nature vs. nurture?"

"Kind of. I mean, she had to go into this role somehow, right? What if she was normal when she was younger. In the beginning she had a mother, and a father, like everyone else. And of course, from the moment she was born, she was - well – different. So it couldn't have been easy. Maybe something happened that made her this way. Or a lot of somethings. Wait, do fairies even have parents? Maybe that was it. She didn't have any positive influence growing up."

And Riku was speechless as he watched her. "Are you… defending her?"

"Not defending. Just thinking."

"You realize it's a little late to think about her life, right? She's already done things that are unforgiveable."

"I'm not saying to forgive her, I was just saying she did stuff for a reason. _Everyone_ does stuff for a reason, even the bad guys, and _I_ like to know what it is." She huffed. "Now get on with it."

He looked at her, and she had her chin propped on her hand as she looked at him.

"Why bother?" He scoffed. "You already know how it's going to go."

"You're supposed to be telling me how everything works," she reminded. "I can only do that through the story. The journey is more important to me right now than the ending."

"…I guess you're right. In this case I guess it's better to know _how_ it happened, more than _what_ happened."

"Exactly. So, how did you learn to fight the shadow creatures?"

"Heartless. And it's not as hard as you'd think."

That was the pattern of how it went. It wasn't even the giant, glaring mistake of him opening the door to the islands and inviting the darkness to the world- she had ignored that completely. It was all the mistakes and mishaps that had happened along the way that she focused and harped on. And the… somewhat lesser evil deeds as well.

"Riku, can I ask you a question? Don't take this the wrong way or anything, I just want to know."

"Go ahead."

"How did you do it? If I were in your shoes… I think I would be too scared to try anything. That I would lose my nerves at the last second."

"Really? You sneak into the factory every night. You take the metals even when you know it's wrong. You go behind the backs of your family and your friend. Most people would say they lose their nerves from attempting something like that."

"…You're right." She finally said quietly. And then she looked up and put a delicate finger on her chin. "I should probably feel ashamed of myself."

Riku waited in silence until she finally reached the plateau of moral enlightenment. And waited. And waited.

"…But you're not, are you?"

"Nope. Not even close. After hearing everything you've done, I feel like a saint." Then she smiled sweetly at him. "Hearing you talk about all of the horrible and awful things you did makes me feel loads better about myself."

Riku leered, his patience wearing thin yet again. They kept up the silence another few moments, and she tilted her head.

"Well, go on. I wanna hear more."

"Why, so you can continue to feel better about yourself?"

"There's that. But I'm really curious too. I want to know how everything got back to normal, and how you changed so much. You were pushy when you were younger, but you weren't mean or anything. I want to know how you became such an insufferable jerk. And you didn't really answer my question either. When I'm at the factory, I have to face a dog from what I've done, not a person. And stealing a few scraps of metal isn't as bad as kidnapping. Wasn't it scary? To know you were doing something so horribly villainous?"

He was speechless for a split second after that, deciding to ignore the insults. He doubted they would stop any time soon anyway.

"Maybe it should have been. At the time, I was afraid, but not exactly of the repercussions. I was on the side of darkness. We had the nine members, and a whole heartless army to fight for us. The odds were in our favor. The only one I really had to worry about was Sora. And at the time… I had beaten him so many times before, he wasn't even a concern. I viewed him more as an opponent, the more I saw him fighting with Donald and Goofy. Soon it just became the first in many tasks along the way. I had done it for good. At least, that was my reasoning. Kairi was worth it, to me."

Of course. Even if Malificent was not being truthful to him, he was still doing it for her. "The ends justify the means?"

"Exactly."

"I see. It makes sense, then. Lucky her." She smiled slightly as she grasped her charm. "With two heroes looking after her, it's no wonder she made it back out."

"Hero? Sora was the one that actually saved her. I ended up putting her in more danger."

"Hm. Smooth."

"I know."

"Well? What happened next?"

There was something else that Riku was quickly learning about her, and one that confused the heck out of him. It was bad enough that she had started asking about Maleficent's childhood (something Riku had to very quickly banish from his mental musings), but besides the fact that she had a seriously _twisted_ sense of humor, she had a sense of morals that flip-flopped faster than a fish out of water.

"So then, you did still want to work with him," Kiri realized.

"He was my best friend. Had been since we were kids. I just didn't want to believe that he had actually given that up so easily. I kept believing we had a chance. And I grew more desperate when I saw him fighting with Donald and Goofy."

"Why?"

"They were like clockwork, always keeping an eye on each other. They were a _team_ that gave each other protection when they needed it. Not once did Sora try to help me."

"Did you need it?"

He was quiet for a bit, before finally speaking. "No."

She had her eyes on him, tried to figure out the problem, and then realized what it was. "You were jealous. You felt like he didn't care either way."

"It wasn't jealousy exactly… I felt like we had been apart for so long, that we couldn't fight together even if we wanted to. I realized we fought side by side, but not with each other. I felt like… it just didn't seem right that he should be doing fine without me. I was the one who was supposed to be ahead, but I was afraid he was catching up."

"You felt intimidated."

"Right. So I asked him to join me, so that we could have that same thing he had developed with them. And I saw he had gotten stronger, from our days on the Island. I thought for sure that together, we would be unstoppable."

She remained completely silent, looking at him expectantly as he watched the waves.

"He drew the keyblade, and told me I no longer had a conscience."

"He was going to fight you?" She breathed in disbelief. "Over a puppet that had no heart?"

He huffed once in a mockery of a laugh. "That's what I said. But Pinocchio still had his heart, remember? I was just using him to try to get to Sora."

"I know. But he still didn't know that, right? And he was still willing to fight you over him. That's… I guess he really was good as the hero."

"Which made me the perfect villain." Riku said slowly. "He even warned me I was on the wrong side, but I didn't listen. What could he know anyway, right? I had found Kairi and he hadn't. In my mind that was enough to convince me I was doing the right thing. I was willing to fight back again if that was what he wanted. I felt as though he left me no choice."

She was quiet a little bit as she considered this. "Did you tell him that?"

"Tell him what?"

"Did you actually say: you leave me no choice?"

He was silent as he tried to recall. "Yeah. I think I did."

She snorted. He stared at her as she shook with repressed laughter.

"I can't believe you actually said that!" she finally gasped and burst out laughing.

He stared in shock, realizing that she was completely insane. "You find that _funny_?"

"Oh come _on_, Riku, that's classic bad guy material!" she explained. "I mean, who says that seriously? I wish I could have seen it. Oh man," her entire face was alight in excitement, and she leaned closer to him, "What else did you say?"

"I… don't know…"

"Oh come on, what about before? Or later, what did you do after?"

"I left. The heartless came after that, so I left Sora to fight him."

"Well, what about later on? Come on, there must have been some more cheesy lines."

"My line was not cheesy!"

"Yes it was- admit it!"

"Not a chance, I _know_ I looked cool doing it."

She burst out into new laughter, and he blushed the moment he realized what he said. He groaned as he flopped his head into his hands, making her lose her composure all over again.

"You're right… I can't believe I said that. I should have figured out something was wrong as soon as it left my mouth. I am _such_ an idiot…"

"It's okay, now you'll know better." She pointed like giving a lecture. "Seriously though, work on more original lines next time, okay?"

He raised his head and leered at her. "I can't believe you're actually _laughing_ about this whole thing. This isn't something you should be _joking_ about."

"Oh relax, no one's hurt. Let's just say I've gotten a bit of dark sense of humor over the year. Besides, it's in the past, right?" She had the audacity to smile at him. "Everything's fine now, so you might as well lighten up and learn to laugh at yourself. Should be easy since you're apparently such a dork." she sniggered. "That's okay though, you probably did look cool pulling it off."

Riku said nothing immediately, cursing his mouth and ego for tripping over each other. And wondering if he should take that last comment as a compliment or an insult.

"Was he all right, at least?" she finally asked. "When you left?"

"Of course he was," he answered. "You've seen Sora, he's fine."

"Not him, stupid, Pinocchio!" she glowered. "I already _know _Sora came out all right. I want to make sure that poor boy is okay. I swear, if you did anything to actually hurt him I will stab you to death!"

"Kiri, he's _fine_." He held up his hands to placate her. "Sora brought him back to Gepetto in one piece."

"Did you apologize?"

He winced.

"Did. You. Apologize," she scowled. "You took advantage of a poor innocent child and lied to try to get his heart, you should have been ashamed of yourself!"

"I was! I mean, I am. You don't have to tell me that," he scowled. "I just haven't seen him since then. It's probably better that way. I don't need to remind him of that time."

"It's never too late to apologize for something. Pinocchio could have still been hurt from that. If you ever do get a chance to see him, make sure to talk to him."

"…Right. I'll keep that in mind."

In a way it made sense. Pinocchio was just a child, so maybe she naturally felt more worried about him. Or... puppet. It was the fact that she had latched onto him and sympathized so quickly that had thrown him for a loop. Heck, from the way she attacked him, he would have believed her if she said she knew the puppet personally. He looked out over the ocean, noticing the light, and getting to his feet.

"Guess it's time to go." She said as she followed him. "But you haven't finished telling me everything."

"Tomorrow." He looked out toward the island. "Or tonight, I guess. We can meet here, and pick up where we left off."

He was brisk, and he walked away without a second thought. Kiri laced her hands behind her as she looked after him, and glanced down at her boots, already mulling over everything she had just been told.

"Kiri."

She cocked a brow at him.

"Sora and Kairi say thank you."

She stared as though he just declared he was part reptile. "What?"

"For the food. And the water, and blankets."

"Oh. Right." Blinking quickly she gave a little shake of her head. Eye squinted in uncertainty, she stiffened. "Um… they're welcome?"

"Don't strain yourself," he said wryly.

"Well it's just… do they really know?"

"No. I know you're trying to keep these night escapades a secret. That's why you didn't say anything in the first place, right? I just wanted to let you know they appreciated the thought."

He turned to head back again, but Kiri was looking away, staring at the black bag now safely by the feet of its rightful owner.

"It's not like you needed it anyway," she mumbled, but he was already too far to hear.

Hello again everyone! Would just like to give a big, giant shout out to those who have faithfully stuck with me, and reviewed this lovely piece until now. Most of the boring old exposition is done, so now we get to the fun parts! I hope you guys are ready to have a blast right along with me as I make these characters suffer for our own enjoyment!


	19. An Apple a Day

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Lukas McDrake, Caitlinkeitorin, Ethereal Mutation, Dream for Tonight, lapina-theobserver and Kebakee. I don't have a lot of followers, but the ones I do have make it worth it to keep writing. I apologize for the flood of updates of old information, but here's the new chapter, as promised! (Also, you may want to go back and reread the first three chapters before continuing on.)

And of course, special thanks to KanarahJ for putting up with me and, and helping with her awesome beta-reading skills, couldn't have done this without her!

(No trees were harmed in the making of this chapter.)

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><p>Being completely honest, Kiri expected <em>something<em> to change. She had the answers she had pined after for months. Even if they were incomplete, she was at least closer to the whole picture. That should have meant something significant, right?

But there was nothing. She still "woke up" for school, went through her morning routine, walked with Cherryll to school, and attended class. In reality nothing had _changed,_ and Kiri wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. Because she saw the world differently now, but the world seemed determined to insist it was just as it had always been. But Kiri could not stop her imagination, or the constant reels of new information trying to ingrain itself into her brain. It was hard not to- this stuff was a lot more interesting than class, that was for sure. But she had successfully alienated the only two people in the entire school she could actually talk with about this.

Well. Karma was just funny that way, she supposed.

"Curse of Jecht?" Mani lowered her sandwich for a moment as she looked questioningly at Selphie, pink hair tumbling over one shoulder. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's just an old superstition, really," the older girl waved off. "An old story about why the Aurochs can't win a game."

"You mean the water-polo team?"

"Right. See, Jecht went to Besaid High, and he played for the team. Even in his freshman year, he was one of the best players, and he took his team to the top of the tournament, three years in a row!" She adopted a lower tone, drawling her words for dramatic effect. "But once he graduated, he jinxed the _whole_, school. He said: 'Good luck finding someone like me! I was the only reason you all won in the first place!" Sure enough, since then, they haven't won a _single_ game."

"Not one?"

"Not _one_. And that was twenty years ago."

"Seventeen, actually," Tidus interjected with a smirk. He was leaning back on his palms, peering down over his nose to look at everyone. "But that record's gonna be broken once _I_ enter high school. Only fitting the curse of Jecht be broken by his own son, right?"

"No way!" Mani gasped. "Jecht was your dad?"

"Got that right. And I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't try out. An' when I win, I can't wait to rub it in his face."

"Yeah, but…" Kairi frowned a little sympathetically. "Wakka's game is next Saturday. You can't help break the curse by then."

"Oh get _serious_ Kairi," Selphie shook her head. "You don't honestly believe that old story, do you?"

"Well, it's just… seventeen years is a long time. That's a little strange, isn't it?"

"It's sad, but hardly a curse." The girl sighed heavily. "You sound as bad as the team. Honestly, none of them expect to win anything at this point. I'm not sure Wakka could really get them excited for a game if he tried."

"And that's why they need _me_." Tidus emphasized. "Once I get there, we'll go straight to the finals. I'm the star of the Zanarkand Abes- I'm not gonna let myself be dragged down by a bunch of losers!"

"Tidus!" Selphie frowned. "That's Wakka's team you're talking about!"

"Yeah, but he's the only good player on there! Besides, he's too laid back, always saying how they should have fun and stuff. He doesn't even push them to win."

"Well, I think it's good to have fun!"

"But _winning_ is even better!"

The conversation degenerated into mild bickering. Kiri kept her eyes closed, though sleep still escaped her; her mind too full of heartless and witches and princesses and hearts to settle down. She was outside the circle of friends, leaning against the tree they dubbed as their own. Both Kairi and Sora breathed easier with her not directly next to them, and almost forgot about her presence. Kiri mentally perked up at the mention of the "curse", though kept playing possum. It got her thinking. What if there really was something supernatural at work here? Nothing was impossible anymore. Though maybe the real problem was that everyone believed in this "curse" in the first place. Perhaps they were dooming everyone to a cycle of fulfilling this curse themselves. But if that was the case, what was the best way to break a whole team of superstitious folk out of that cycle?

And Kiri's lips twitched, brow furrowing slightly in thought as the others carried on, oblivious to her musings.

At the beginning of the P.E period, Kiri stepped aside as the kids streamed out. Keeping her eyes peeled, she waited for the familiar spikes of brown hair to emerge before speaking. "Sora?" She called out hesitantly. "Can I talk to you?"

Turning to look over his shoulder, the teen understandingly became more wary when he recognized the speaker. Glancing quickly to the early kids and figuring they had a few spare moments to talk, he responded to her call, mainly because he wanted an excuse to talk to her himself. The girl was standing on the campus grounds where sidewalk met lawn, looking first at him, then down at her feet. He scowled, not bothering to hide his displeasure as he crossed his arms, jutting his chin out defensively.

"So what do you want?"

She wrung her hands together and shifted anxiously. "I... I wanted to say I'm sorry. When this whole thing started, I jumped to conclusions and I was mean to you." She winced, and curled in on herself. "And... and about Kairi too. I thought you guys were after me, and I didn't trust her and I just blew up, I guess. I'm… I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to hurt her."

And then he relented as his defensiveness was brought into question. It was not just her statements, but her body language too. She just looked… kind of pathetic. It was hard not to feel sympathetic. There was a "hey, don't worry about it" on the tip of his tongue, accompanied by an easy smile. But then she reminded him of a pale, terrified, and bruised Kairi, and his guard went straight up again.

"Yeah? Why're you telling me this? I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

Kiri pressed her fingers together in a wheel. "I know. She's avoiding me."

"Go figure."

Kiri winced, but remained silent.

Sora wrinkled his nose, unsure of how to regard her. "Listen… if you really hate me, then that's fine. I can deal with that. What I can't stand is when someone goes after my friends. If you promise not to go near Kairi again, then I'm willing to put all that behind us."

Kiri still did not look at him, but nodded once, surprised that he had even agreed to that much. "Okay."

Sora uncrossed his arms, and then rocked on his feet awkwardly. "So uh… look, I know that sweater was important to you an' all, so I just wanted to say sorry about that. 'Cuz, yeah, I never got to before."

"That's okay. I never liked that thing anyway- it was pretty old."

Sora gaped. "But… you practically bit my head off!"

Kiri smiled uneasily. "Well, yeah, I was… kinda mad about the other thing."

"What "other thing"?"

"Well... when this whole thing started, I thought you were," she lowered her voice and leaned in. "I thought you were the one who was following me."

"Following...? _Oh_!" He said in realization, though kept his voice down. He leaned over and whispered behind a hand. "You thought I was Riku!" She only nodded, and Sora thought about this, nodding to himself and slowly lowering his hand. "I get it. You were scared."

"I wasn't _scared_." She defended, a bit too quickly, then fidgeted again. "I was just... cautious. I didn't think I could trust you guys."

Trust. A word that had come to mean a lot to him over the long months. And considering the situation she was in, he supposed he could not really blame her for being so wary. "Do you trust us now?"

"I..." There was a moment she seemed caught and unsure, the answer drying up on her tongue.

"Hey you two! Get in your teams."

The two winced, and Sora smiled sheepishly. "Good luck at the game today." He smiled, but it was more out of amusement than anything. "The guys are gonna go all out to get past you."

She grimaced at the reminder. The day she had chosen goalie was just because she had felt tired and lazy that day. But her nature of actually putting forth effort into all of her endeavors made her actively block the ball. And when she got competitive, well… she may or may not have been helping her team move up the ranks for the class period. Which meant the best girl team and the best guy team were now head-to-head for today. "Right... I dunno, should I go easy on 'em?"

"No way. I haven't seen Tidus this riled up since... ever. It's kinda fun seeing him like this."

She clamped her lips shut, but could not help the smile. "That's not nice."

"Hey, it's his own fault. Seriously, he's gotten such a big head over the year. I think this'll be good for 'im."

"Sure. What about you, though? You're goalie too, right? Why didn't you pay forward?"

"Well," here, his amused smile turned slightly nervous. "I would've, but, I kinda hit a girl in the face a couple weeks back…"

She winced slightly at the memory. "Yeah… that kinda hurt…"

"And that was _after_ you blocked it. Now imagine if that happened to one of them," he indicated the field of students with his thumb. "It's just safer this way. I don't mind, though. So long as everyone's having fun."

She smiled despite herself, finding herself admiring his selfless, friendly attitude. He waved, flashing a grin before loping off to his own post. She waved after him, relieved, and dare she say it, happy. Maybe they had a chance to be friends after all

About fifteen minutes later, aggravated stomping echoed in the halls, and it was enough to warn Dr. Kell that someone was in a horrible mood. She did not pause in her note-taking however. Not until the storming teen swept into the main office, and entered her little side nurse's office. Turning in her swivel chair, she blinked at the irate student, brown hair sticking up in a rather familiar style to tell her his identity. His arms were crossed, his heel bouncing, and an uncharacteristic scowl plastered to his face. What tipped her off to his bad mood was his gray school shirt and PE shorts, and that he was sporting a red eye that would undoubtedly turn black if left alone. She pulled open her drawer and handed him an ice-pack.

"What happened?" She asked obligatorily as he took the pack.

"Kiri happened," he grumbled, and he plopped down on a chair, holding the pack to his face. "She lowered my guard and beat my face in with a soccer ball."

And Kell just stared. Because really, what else could she do? "She what?"

"She came up and apologized and _said_ she wanted to start over, but _then_ she went and sent the ball right in my face! How's that for fair?"

The school nurse raised an eyebrow at the description. "So… you two don't really get along, do you?"

"Putting it _nicely_. She's hated me since day one and I don't get it." He slouched forward, chin on his fist, twisting lips into a pout. "I've _tried_ to be nice to her, but no matter what I do, she still hates me. I knew I shouldn't have played forward." He straightened and gestured with his hands to mimic desperation as he recalled that fateful moment. "'But we gotta break the tie! Help us Sora, you're our only hope!'" He sighed heavily and flopped forward again. "I shoulda just stayed in the back and had them deal with it."

"Huh." It was strange. She could not imagine the sweet quiet girl hating anyone, let alone trying to throw a ball in their face… if she could even do something like that. "So she threw the ball in your face?"

"Yes! She blocked it and sent it right for me."

"Are… you okay?" She asked, more as a courtesy than anything.

"Of course I'm _okay_, but it's the principle of the matter."

The woman nodded slowly, her perplexed frown not moving in the least.

Sora noticed her disbelief and wrinkled his nose. "Hey, she's not as sweet and nice as she makes herself out to be. She totally has it in for me! She was trying to get back at me for hitting her in the face."

"You what?"

"It was an accident! And I've apologized a hundred times already, but she _still_ has it in for me! It was even in the same place: _right_ above the eye. Coincidence? I think not."

And Kell sighed when the pieces came together, and she rubbed her temple. "Right… Sora, how far away was she?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer me."

"She was… uh…"

"Closer, or farther than you and me?"

"Closer."

"And she wasn't wearing glasses."

"Of course not, it was a game!"

"Sora, she's far sighted."

"…And?"

"And, at this distance, you'd be nothing more than a blur to her. Even _if_ she was trying to hit you, how could she have aimed the ball at your eye?"

And Sora faltered, only now remembering the conversation at the store. Had she not gone over this? Yeah, she had, and it had completely slipped his mind. "I… well… she still broke-!" And he stopped, because he realized the fact that the girl had actually broken Riku's nose was supposed to be a secret.

"She broke what?"

"Never mind. I mean… isn't it still possible?"

"It could be. For someone who actually knew what they were doing. But I know for a fact Kiri doesn't play sports. I really doubt she could even aim a ball from a _block_ even with glasses on."

And Sora sighed and slumped forward, realizing he had just messed this up all over again.

A shrill coach's whistle echoed in the small gym. "Time out!"

The squeak of tennis shoes and hollow thuds on the waxed floors kept going. There were three courts lined up next to each other, and it was only the middle one that had the collision. The other two games had merely glanced at the interruption, but seeing that it did not apply to them, returned to their game.

"Jeliph!" The coach barked as she stared pointedly at the offending player. "You put your feet on wrong today or what?"

"Sorry coach," the teen shrugged. "New shoes, still getting used to them."

"Can't even call a foul if it's against your own teammate." She shook her head and clapped her hands. "Alright boys, back into positions, I'm throwing the ball up again. And this time make sure you give each other enough room to breathe this time."

Jeliph crouched down and held his hand out. "Hey man, sorry about that. You okay?"

Riku still had his jaw and fists clenched tight, doubled over on his knees. "I'm fine." He grunted. With an almost herculean effort, he pushed himself up, ignoring the offered hand. "Let's just get back to the game."

But his teammate did not take his advice. "Whoa, you okay?" Riku had looked at him like he was crazy for asking, but his face was even paler than usual, almost completely white. "Dude, you look like you're about to hurl. Seriously, you need to sit down or something?"

"What was that?" The coach picked the line up and swarmed like a shark to blood, frowning when she got a good look at his face. "Okay, you're sitting the rest of the game out."

"Guys, look, I'm fine, I've had worse-"

"Don't push it kid, I'm not impressed with the tough guy act. Either behave and sit down, or I'm getting someone to take you to the nurse."

Riku bit his tongue to hold in his annoyance. Kid? When was the last time someone called him that? Did she just… put him in a time out, for lack of better term? Just who did she think she was talking to? He inhaled through his nose slowly, before turning to comply. Heading for the bench to the side of the court, he ignored Jeliph's muttered apologies, and promises that he really didn't mean to hit anyone that hard, blah blah blah whatever. Miffed as he was, Riku just did not have the energy right now to argue. So he eased himself onto the bench, elbows on his knees as he hunched over, taking shallow breaths to appease his nausea.

Last night there had been a dull pain in his abdominals and his chest, something he already knew was thanks to those bruises Kiri had left. It was something he could ignore easily enough, he just had to be careful not to breathe too deeply. He was more concerned about the headache that had been plaguing him since he had gotten home; no doubt born from arguing and yelling with the infuriating girl for hours last night. The pain itself was not so bad, but if he stood too quickly he got dizzy; which in turn made him nauseous, which really did not help his difficulty breathing. Even that had taken a backseat to his concerns for the rest of his day. How was he going to tell Sora and Kairi about last night? How much of the story would he actually be able to tell tonight? Would his dad ask questions if he slept through dinner again? He was already getting suspicious. The teen rubbed his eyes tiredly. Day was barely halfway over and he was not even sure how to do it. The woman was right: the girl was more trouble than she was worth.

"Riku?"

He looked up quickly, seeing the pretty young girl looking down at him, green eyes shining in concern. She was wearing the same white shirt and dark navy shorts of the PE uniform, though the girl-cut outfit looked much cuter on her curvy figure. Her long violet tresses were pulled back into a ragged ponytail and tumbled over one shoulder as she bent over. He snapped straight to look up at her. "Claire."

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the nurse? Maybe you should lie down."

The nurse's office had a small cot for emergencies and at the mention of "lie down" Riku could swear his eyelids felt heavier, though he ignored it. "It's fine, really…" the second he said it, the dizzy spell took over again, this time much stronger than before. He cursed his haste to sit up as his vision almost went black and he became light-headed. He hunched over again, and the girl took a step closer.

"Are you sure you're okay? I can take you there."

Riku attempted two deep breaths before he gave up. No, these were not just the bruises he was dealing with, something else was wrong, he was sure of it. "Yeah… I think I'll take you up on that."

"Your ribs are fractured." The older woman clucked. "And you're probably stressing yourself out too. It's no wonder you've been making yourself sick."

Riku sighed softly, everything coming together. The girl had broken his nose from a punch, he really should have guessed a strike from her would deal heavier damage than just a bruise. "Headache hasn't been helping any either."

The portly nurse leaned forward again, fingers dabbing at the edges of the mottled bruise to test the extent of the injury. Riku said nothing as she fussed, not even so much as twitching from the sparks of pain. "Oh no, dear. That's probably from the cracks too. Even with a little pain it can cause headaches and dizziness sometimes. I'm guessing you've been pretty tired today too."

"Yeah."

"Your poor body's been working on trying to heal you. Alright, shirt down, I'm pretty sure a regular potion will be enough."

Perfect. At least he could say with complete confidence that this was all her fault. The teen slipped his shirt back over his middle as the nurse unlocked a drawer and pulled out a potion, handing it over to him. He uncorked the vial, and downed the bitter goop in a single gulp. Over the years he had developed a partial immunity to the potion, so unfortunately, it did not do as much as it could have to heal him, though the woman could not have known that. But the moment he took it, he could breathe easier again, and his headache vanished. There was still a dull ache in his muscles, but that he could bear easily. He missed the thoughtful, concerned look on her face as the nurse saw how easily he shot back the bitter, thick liquid. He looked like he had done that a lot in the past… and to have a fractured rib for this long without wanting to tell anybody…

"Listen, Riku," she started out gently. She pulled up her seat next to the cot she had sat him down in. "I'm sure this adjustment hasn't been easy for you. Are you feeling alright with all of this?"

The teen was both surprised, and not surprised with the sudden change in topic. Most people had given up asking him that forever ago. But he schooled his expression into neutrality, nodded, and gave the same answer he had been giving everyone. "Yeah. I'm doing great. Everyone's been helping me a lot."

"That's good, sweetie." And she smiled, but never lost the concern. "I just want you to know that even though we're just a school, you can still reach out to us if you need help. You're not as alone as you might think. There are others that have struggled too, and we just want to be here for you if you need it."

And now Riku felt like he was missing something. He was pretty sure his situation was unique, on the Island anyway. The only one who came close was Sora, and he did not even go to high school. What on earth was this woman talking about? The nurse pointed to the ribs he was still unconsciously clutching.

"It's not alright to be hurt like that and it isn't your fault. Please don't think it is. If you ever get hurt again, come straight to me, alright?" She leaned over and pat his knee. "Your family doesn't ever have to know."

And then it _clicked _and Riku _stared_ and his neutrality broke to look at her in something akin to horror.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on, you've got the wrong idea." He held his hands up haltingly. "Look, my family doesn't know _anything_ about this. If you met my dad you'd understand. He's the most laid back guy you'll ever meet. I can't even remember the last time I heard him _yell_." Well, actually he could, but that was _years_ ago when they had gotten into a serious fight, and he had been just as guilty. The teen indicated his mid-section. "If he found out about this, he'd probably have the closest thing to a heart attack he could get."

It was his denial combined with his break in cool demeanor that had the nurse believe he was telling the truth. "Then how did you get that?"

"…I fell?"

She stared flatly at him, and Riku knew that if he was going to save face had to tell part of the truth. "I… I snuck out last night to meet someone, but I ended up ticking off the wrong person."

Her eyes widened. "A fight? It wasn't with another student, was it?"

He shook his head. "She doesn't go here."

"_She_?"

"Uh, he, right. Look, I… I messed up, but I'm fixing it. Just don't tell Dad."

And the woman held back her breath at the cursed words. "Riku, if you're hurt, it's my job to let your parents know."

"I know, but… look, things are finally getting better between us. But if he hears about this, he'll try to stop me, and I don't want to fight with him on this. I'll be alright from now on, promise. I just… he's _happy, _for the first time in a long time. I don't want to break that again. Please."

It was sort of funny. Most kids would be eager at the chance to go home if they were sick. Or were eager to complain about their family life and fight with their parents and battle them for independence. This was the first time she had a student ask her not to tell parents because he was concerned about their happiness. Maybe she was getting sentimental in her old age.

"…Alright. I won't tell him."

It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He exhaled, closing his eyes with relief, and the woman was struck by how _old_ he looked. The hunch of his shoulders, the suffering sigh, even just the way he shut his eyes. She did not feel like she was looking at a teenage boy, but at a middle-aged man that had been thrown too much on his plate. He was not just tired, but exhausted. He was a boy that had grown up too fast, and was struggling with issues that she had not even touched the surface of.

"…Alright young man, shoes off, under the covers."

Then the picture broke as Riku looked up, obviously puzzled. "Huh?"

"Potion's healed your ribs, but it doesn't do anything about sleepiness."

"Oh…" he blinked and rubbed his eyes. "I'm fine, just was up late-"

"I'll have none of that, Mister." She clucked, and the boy froze under her disapproving stare. "Your poor body's been struggling with healing you all day, it's no wonder you're tired. If I tell you that you need rest, then you need rest, now get under there." Riku wisely kept his mouth shut and almost meekly shoved off his shoes. The nurse had stood, and was already drawing the curtain shut around the cot. "I'll write up a note to excuse you from class, and you just sleep until you're rested again. Can't have a student go to class half-better."

Burrowing under the covers, Riku refused to make eye contact, somewhat embarrassed by the sudden shift in dynamic. When he finally rested his head on the pillow, he forced himself to look at the older woman. She caught his stare, and looked at him questioningly.

"Something the matter?"

"…It's nothing. Sorry."

"You'd better be. Making me lie to my colleagues, tut tut. Come straight to me next time this happens so we avoid this. Though really it would be much better if this didn't happen again, but I'll do what I can."

Riku could not say anything, throat closing up, but he nodded and she finally shut the curtain. He could hear her loud and clear as she walked back, sat at her desk, and started scribbling out a note. Bringing the thin blanket up a little more to cover his face, his mind was already rising into the floating midst of consciousness.

'You shouldn't be this nice to me. You should break every bone in my body and watch me suffer.'

But there was nothing he could say to convey that, so he simply closed his eyes and drifted into a restless nap.

Riku had been battling with himself on how to broach the subject all day. It went without saying that he had to tell them, the problem was trying to figure out if the others would agree to his reasons. The damage had already been done, so either there was going to be a massive argument for when they got back to the islet, or just an easy, accepting discussion. Riku hoped for the latter. The nap still left him drowsy.

So he was a bit surprised to see a nervous, fidgety Sora waiting beside an exasperated Kairi. His arms were crossed, his heel was bouncing, and there was an uncertain pucker to his lips. Riku suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. Oh, perfect.

"What's with you?" he asked, already half fearing the answer.

"I just ruined any salvageable cooperation with Kiri."

And Riku just stared. At first it was because he was surprised Sora's vocabulary had extended so quickly (he was not actually paying attention in class, was he?) but then he noted that Sora's statement was actually worrying. "You what?"

Kairi sighed from beside him. "Kiri tried to talk to Sora earlier. But she bounced the ball into his eye during P.E."

Riku tilted his head slightly in question. Then Sora turned to face him fully to show the other side of his face, which sported the shiner, and the older boy nodded in understanding. "Right. So I guess you got mad."

"She _said_ she wanted to start over and _then_ she went and pulled a stunt like that! I thought she was trying to lower my guard. Then I got mad, and… well now she won't talk to me. I just- it was weird! She just started talking to me out of nowhere, apologizing and saying she wanted to start over and stuff like that! I mean come on, doesn't that seem weird?"

And then Riku sighed. Oh for the love of…

She must have been paying closer attention than he realized. Apparently the story was enough to make her pity Sora. Or at least respect him. Lucky him. Five minutes, just _five_ minutes without her arguing with him would make this job easier. "Sora… she came up to talk to you because I talked to her last night."

"You did? About what?"

"On the island." He answered, before swiftly turning and taking the lead.

Sora and Kairi took one look at each other before nodding once and following. Once the three made it to their respective homes, and changed into their non-school clothes, they met on the play islet in their familiar formation. The younger two watched the taller boy expectantly. For his part, Sora had his arms crossed slightly defensively, already swaying on his heels. Kairi was fidgeting with her hands behind her back, watching him worriedly. Riku had one hand stuffed in his pocket, slightly slouched and head bowed.

"…I told Kiri about what happened when the islands were swallowed."

"_What_?" Sora looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "You mean you actually told her? No way!"

"Did she believe you?" Kairi asked.

"Unfortunately."

Low, blunt, and dry. The two friends glanced at each other before Kairi ventured forward. "…that's a bad thing?"

"Yes. Because if she _didn't_ believe me, she probably would have just sat there quietly and listened to everything I had to say without a problem." He straightened to look at them, and by the crinkle of his brow, he was less-than-pleased. "But since she _did_ believe me, she went and criticized everything. Every action, every decision, even things I _said_. She even went and criticized the way things _work_, like she would be able to actually _change_ them. And it was even worse because she wouldn't shut up about them, and couldn't seem to understand a few simple concepts! If I have to hear _one _more time about how "nobodies" should be called "heartless", I'm going to kill somebody! Preferably _her_!"

Riku was actually out of breath. He panted, shoulders heaving as he calmed himself down again, but aquamarine eyes still glinting dangerously. Both Sora and Kairi gaped, both stunned at the sudden outburst of emotion. Very slowly, the pair looked at each other.

"Am I the only one who's glad to see him getting so riled up?" Sora asked.

"No, you're not alone." Kairi shook her head in assurance. "He's been so indifferent to things lately, I was worried."

"Good. Now if only he could be that _happy_ about something."

"I'm still right here you know." One white eyebrow rose expectantly as he frowned in distaste.

Sora was unperturbed. "So basically you told her about everything, and she believed you, right?"

"Yeah, she did. If she didn't, she's one heck of an actor."

"But…" Sora rubbed his scalp. "Why did you tell her in the _first_ place?"

"Because… she's stuck here. She's had to suffer the consequences of everything that's happened, and she doesn't have a clue of what's going on. She should at least know the truth."

"But… I thought…" Kairi looked at him, fingers playing with her lip, almost nervously. "I think she already knows about everything. Or at least, about other worlds."

Both males looked at her curiously as Riku inquired. "What makes you say that? We already know she doesn't know what a keyblade is."

"Because… she knew I was a princess of heart."

There was a crash against the dock as a particularly strong wave slapped against it, spraying white foam and salty mist into the sky. The three experienced a temporary loss of words as Riku and Kairi stared at each other.

"What do you mean?" Riku said carefully.

"When I tried talking to her, she… she called me "princess" and said how my heart was full of light. She wasn't happy about it either."

"Wait, but…" Sora looked back and forth between them, fingers point at both, and then crossing over. "Didn't you just say…?"

Riku did not say anything initially. To his credit, Riku was not actually angry about Kiri lying to him. Whatever her agenda, it was something that was up to her, and her actions proved that she did not trust him or intend to let him in any closer than he had already gotten. If anything, her skill was almost impressive.

What he could _not_ stand was the fact that he had actually _fallen_ for it. His eyes were flat, and mouth thin, and even his best friends could not read his expression or guess on what he was feeling. Her heart could have been explained by her sense. Kairi's royal lineage however…

Slowly, he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "I don't know. But I'll find out."


End file.
